


Happiest Season

by writeyourownlifestory



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: 90's AU, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:54:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 39,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27811087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeyourownlifestory/pseuds/writeyourownlifestory
Summary: Johnny needs the last bit of money for a downpayment of his dream dojo. Daniel needs a date for the holidays to please his suffocating mother. Surely they can work something out.Dating ad in the Newspaper AU that nobody asked for -- holiday edition!
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence
Comments: 101
Kudos: 204





	1. Twelve Drummers Drumming

**Author's Note:**

> This came to life thanks to the stress of the 2020 election, my own hyper fixation towards a brunet Billy and longer-haired Ralph, and the good old fashioned Fake Dating AU. 
> 
> Specifically takes place in 1993, please look up Ralph in Naked In New York and Billy in Shootfighter for reference pictures!
> 
> Please enjoy.

It was snowing in New York. That’s what Johnny read in the paper. The picture featured a winter wonderland that could compete with a Christmas card cover and if the snow continued, New York would be having a white Christmas this year. 

Of course, that was all fine and dandy, but Johnny wasn’t in New York. He was in California. Reseda, to be exact, and he had never actually seen a white Christmas. He was fine with that as he was sure it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Snow meant it had to be cold out and Johnny hated the cold, and the damp, and everything else the winter brought. 

He preferred the summer when California was booming and the water at the beach was actually swimmable. He got more work in the summer. People wanting to work on their bodies and their homes, giving him a chance to make double the money. 

And to top it off, Summer didn’t have Christmas, which to Johnny was one of the most overrated holidays ever he brought into existence. It was over-commercialized and over too quickly. You spend so much time and effort trying to find the best present for someone and within a year it’s usually forgotten about. Johnny could think of a handful of gifts he had gotten as a kid that was thrown out within the first few weeks of January. 

A waste of money and a waste of time if you asked him. 

Christmas was three weeks away and while he wasn’t going out to buy a tree or putting up a wreath outside his apartment door, he also didn’t allow himself to get bitter over it all. After all, he was alone because he preferred it that way. Things were easier when you only had to focus on yourself. 

Flipping the page of the paper, he looked up to see the bartender bringing him another beer. He wasn’t working until later that night so he allowed himself the small luxury of being able to drink a bit. The afternoons were always quiet, even when the bartender on hand tended to talk his ear off. 

In another world, Johnny would have imagined himself falling in love with Shannon Keene. She was mouthy and never allowed him to get the final say. She put him in his place whenever he needed to be put there. It also didn’t hurt that she was pretty. Johnny could put up with a lot of shit so long as he had something nice to look at. 

But alas, there were certain things that Johnny required in his significant others that Shannon lacked. And that wasn’t her fault, not really. And while she did make the offer to go down to the adult shop and pick something up to fix that little issue, Johnny was polite enough to decline her offer but remain friends. He wasn’t that desperately lonely. At least not yet anyway. 

“Still looking for vacant buildings for your yoga studio?” She asked him, leaning across the bar to see what page of the paper he was on. 

Johnny had been looking into renting out a place in hopes of opening his own dojo. He had gotten his certification to karate instructor and since his plans to join his old sensei fell through, he figured he would give it a go on his own. 

He had gone all around the area, trying his best to find a place that wasn’t too run down. He had taken odd jobs here and there and was good with his hands, so if anything needed to be fixed up, he would most likely be able to do it himself. 

He had money saved up, but not nearly as much as he needed. Most down payments were just a bit too out of his budget and even if he cut back by only drinking in the bar he worked out so the drinks were free and buying most of his food from the dollar general, he just still wasn’t at the point of where he needed to be. 

There was one place he had taken a liking to and the rent didn’t seem too shabby if he was honest, but the man wanted the downpayment as soon as possible, and Johnny was just a bit shy. He had tried to get the old man to give him an extension, especially when he promised just how much he would bring in once the dojo was up and running and he had students coming in, their parents paying up the ying-yang for them to be taught how to not be shoved into lockers, but the guy wouldn’t budge. 

How the bastard would prefer to have an empty lot than the bit of cash Johnny could offer him was beyond Johnny’s reasoning. 

So for now he kept looking, hoping the new year would bring him something good otherwise he’d be right where he was currently. Up shits creek, no paddle to his name. 

“It’s a karate dojo, and you’re well aware of that,” Johnny replied, not bothering to look up from the paper. “And will you please change the station? I’ve heard that song three times today.” 

Christmas music was everywhere and while it wasn’t every single station that picked it up, more than enough of them were blasting the holly jolly tunes every waking hour of the day. Johnny heard it in the car, at the worksite, and not here. 

“I happen to like this song,” Shannon replied and Johnny found himself rolling his eyes as “Little Saint Nick” by the Beach Boys played on. 

It was a California specialty and Johnny got sick of listening to it back when he was a kid. Hearing it now as an adult didn’t bring him any longer to the Christmas spirit, much to the dismay of Wilson and Love. 

“Yoga is the trend of the future, Johnny. That’s where the real money to be made is.” Shannon mentioned, tapping her nails against the chipped bar top. 

“Karate isn’t a trend, Shannon, it’s a lifestyle.” Johnny did look up then, offering an exhausting glance towards the blonde. He had tried to explain to her about his passion for the martial art, but the only thing Shannon cared about was whatever the next lonely businessman that walked in could offer her. He didn’t like to think of Shannon as a gold digger. To her, it was an even playing field. They got someone attractive to go out with and she was able to pay rent and buy shining objects with.

Johnny used to think back to when he was a kid and had his stepdad’s credit card and all the things he used to buy his old girlfriends in hopes of them sticking around. Oh, how things had changed. 

“I’m not teaching yoga, Shannon. I’m a grown man. Besides, yoga is just a way for lonely housewives to loosen up their muscles. Karate is a way to gain them.” 

“Not everybody wants to learn to fight, Johnny.” 

“Karate is self-defense, Shannon. It’s good to know whether or not there is going to be a fight.” Johnny quipped, turning the page once again. 

He flipped through the paper, heading down to the inquirers. He was hoping to find another off the books job that would allow him to stash the cash away or maybe even something a little more serious. He didn’t want anything full time, knowing all his efforts would be going into the dojo once he was given the chance to open it. 

Johnny’s attention was whipped away as quickly as the paper was, and he watched as Shannon took the paper and began flipping through it. “What the hell are you doing?” 

“Going to the personals.” She answered, folding the paper in half as she got to the page she wanted. “You never know who is looking for love these days.” 

“Says the bartender who flirts for tips,” Johnny muttered, earning a smack with the paper like he was a dog who pissed on the carpet. “Are you seriously trying to get a date from the newspaper?” 

“Lonely people will try anything, Johnny.” 

“And you really want to stoop that low?”

“You can’t judge a person for wanting to be loved, Johnny,” Shannon answered, pouting as Johnny snatched the paper away from her. 

Johnny wanted to comment that it wasn’t exactly loved that Shannon was looking for, more like just someone to pay attention to her and pay for shit, but she was pulled away by a group of patrons that needed her attention. 

Laying the paperback out, Johnny took a look at the page Shannon had been eyeing, curious to know who was desperate enough for love and affection to actually put an ad in the paper. To his surprise, there were a handful of people who did just that. Johnny read through them, sipping slowly on his beer as he tried to wrap his mind around it all. 

One ad, in particular, caught his attention though it wasn’t as pathetic as the others. This poor bastard wasn’t putting his heart on the line, but rather offering what seemed to be a business deal. 

> _**Seeking Date for Upcoming Holiday** _
> 
> _**I’m looking for someone to spend the upcoming holiday with to please my old-fashioned mother who has been pestering me to settle down since I moved out. With this arrangement, you will have to act as my significant other for some time and go along with whatever storyline we come up with. You will receive Christmas Eve and Christmas night Dinner and a payment of $500. Serious inquiries only. Both males and females may apply.** _

Johnny read the ad, again and again, just wanting to make sure he was reading it right. It found it odd that somebody would be so desperate to lie to their parents they would actually put an ad for it in the paper. 

However, it was the bottom line that intrigued him. $500 was a lot of money and would certainly make a difference towards what he already had saved up. It would definitely help with the downpayment he had to make by the end of the year, allowing him to make the final cut the bastard at the mini-mart center wanted. 

And seeing as the person was willing to accept male and female . . . well, it wouldn’t hurt to call, right? 

Taking the paper into the hallway by the bathroom, he collected his change to get the payphone going, dialing the number given. Johnny waited, counting the rings until finally, someone answered. 

It was a guy, to his surprise. He didn’t mind as men were what he preferred, though for $500 Johnny had a very little issue playing the perfect future husband to some broad. 

The man on the phone was polite, introducing himself easily. Johnny didn’t exactly know what to say and began crumpling up the paper, trying to find his words. 

“Yeah, hi. I found your ad in the paper.” He replied dumbly. “I was wondering if you were still in need of that date?” 

“Is this a legitimate offer?” The man asked, his voice a bit tighter now. Johnny wondered how many calls the poor bastard got that must have been people just yanking his chain. 

“Depends, is the cash offer legit?” He replied. 

“You would be paid for your services.” The man replied. 

Services. Way to make it seem more like a prostitution job, buddy. Then again, if he was meant to be this guy’s boyfriend or whatever, he guessed there would be some light touching going on there. 

“Then I’m all yours.” 

The line was quiet for a few seconds. “Just like that?” 

Johnny found himself laughing. What was he supposed to do? Think long and hard about it? “There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for five hundred bucks, buddy.” 

“Can we meet first?” The man asked carefully. “Just to go over some things before I agree.” 

Johnny didn’t see the issue in that. He should probably meet the guy before agreeing anyway. The last thing either of them needed was to be pretending they’re a happy couple when they haven’t even thought of a game plan or anything like that. 

“Yeah, all right. Just tell me when and where.” Johnny offered, knowing he wasn’t going to invite the guy here where Shannon could poke her head in and listen to what they were all saying.

The guy ended up giving Johnny a place and a time tomorrow morning. Johnny was working until three tonight, so he would have to get home and set his alarm so he didn’t sleep through the day. 

He thanked Johnny before getting off the phone though Johnny wasn’t sure if what he was doing was even worthy of the nicety. He almost felt bad for the guy, but he guessed now he knew how Shannon felt. It wasn’t using the person when they made the offer first after all. 

Hanging up the phone, Johnny tossed the paper into the trash and made his way to the back, prepared to spend the last twenty minutes before his shift had to begin in peace.  
  


🎄 **🐍** 🎄

Johnny arrived at the cafe a little before ten, wanting to put on a good impression for the guy. If he wanted to get him to agree, showing up late certainly wasn’t going to be a great way to start. He dressed nicely, making sure to go with one of his shirts that wasn’t wrinkled or stained from a work site.

He didn’t exactly know who he was looking for, but he picked a table that was in perfect view sight of the door, so if the guy did see him, he’d be able to make his way over. He blindly looked at the menu, finding it all to be fancy ways to make coffee, which just bored him if he was being honest. What was wrong with plain coffee? Why did you need a mocha - chino - soy - latte or whatever the hell it was called? 

He was in the middle of trying to figure out what the fuck a matcha latte was when someone approached the table. And just like when he was on the phone, he wasn’t sure what to say. He just sat back and looked up at the tanned Adonis standing in front of him. 

“Hi,” The man breathed softly. “Are you . . . did you inquire about the ad?” 

Johnny blinked, finally realizing what he was saying. “Yeah. Yes. Hi. Daniel?” 

Daniel had been the name he gave last night over the phone. To his relief, he looked just as nervous as Johnny was. He tried to convince himself while getting dressed this morning that this was nothing more than a business deal, but he couldn’t help but get all anxious as he waited for the guy to finally show. 

And now he did and he was gorgeous, which didn’t help the issue. There were moments in his life where Johnny had questioned his sexuality, if he was really into men and if he had thrown away a decent life all because of some silly fling. 

And then there were moments when Johnny remembered just how much he loved men; this was one of those moments. Johnny had been with his fair share of guys, but none like Daniel. Very rarely did he find someone who was breathtakingly beautiful. Johnny had been called a pretty boy once or twice, but he couldn’t hold a candle to the guy right in front of him. 

Tanned skin, big brown eyes, hair that he longed to run his fingers through. Johnny was proud of himself for not having his mouth hanging open like some drooling caveman. 

“Yes, hi! Daniel Larusso. I’m sorry, I never got your name while we were on the phone.” 

“It’s Johnny. Lawrence.” 

Daniel took his hand, which Johnny politely took, offering a firm handshake just as he had been taught when he was a kid. Daniel moved to sit across from him and Johnny took the chance to give him another once over. He seemed around his age, give or take a year, and he was wearing a suit. Johnny didn’t even own a suit. He wondered if having a suit would be a deal-breaker for this thing. 

“It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for coming.” 

“Oh yeah, no problem.” 

“Can I get you anything?” Daniel said, gesturing to the menu. 

Johnny shook his head, leaning back in his seat. “Oh no. To be honest, cafes like this are too complicated for me. I’m fine with just plain coffee, you know?” 

“Oh yeah. Totally.” Daniel bobbed his head. “Do you want to go? I mean, we could go somewhere else.” 

Johnny sat up slightly, shaking his head. “No, no. It’s fine, really.” 

They sat there, embracing the awkwardness that was in the air. Johnny wasn’t sure how to start this off. Did he jump right into asking about the money? Did he ask him why he was even putting something like this out in the paper where literally anybody in NYC that read the personals would be able to contact him? 

“I swear I’m not always this pathetic,” Daniel admitted suddenly. 

“I didn’t think you were,” Johnny told him, only lying a little bit. 

“I had a nasty breakup at the end of my senior year of high school, and my ma has kind of linked that back to all my issues.” He went on to explain. “Anyway, I had a girlfriend for the past four months and it was going really well, but she broke up with me recently and I don’t have the heart to tell my ma.” 

“So you want to bring a replacement to Christmas dinner,” Johnny mentioned. “Won’t she be confused by you bringing home a guy instead of a girl?” 

“I never told my ma who I was dating. I tried to keep it as vague as possible. My ma knows I’m bisexual so it won’t be a complete surprise that I’m with a guy.” 

“And she’s okay with that?” Johnny asked carefully. 

Daniel shrugged easily. “All she wants is my happiness. And grandchildren, which becomes a bit more tricky while dating a guy, but you know, adoption is a thing so. Someday.” Daniel shifted in his seat, lifting his hands towards Johnny. “Are you?” 

“Am I?” 

“Do you swing both ways?” 

“Oh. No, I’m gay.” He answered smoothly. “My mom doesn’t give a shit about my happiness, but that’s beside the point.” 

Daniel’s smile broke then and those brown eyes that seemed so large softened. “Oh. I’m so sorry, Johnny.”

Johnny waved him off, unaffected by it. It had been five years since he last saw his mom, only speaking to her over the phone whenever she bothered to call and make sure he didn’t catch something or kill himself due to how sad his lifestyle was. 

“It’s fine. I’m over it. I’m here, I’m queer. Next topic.” 

“Right. Okay. So yeah, as I said, I kept my relationship with Amanda as vague as possible, so my ma doesn’t know how we met or anything like that. For us, we could just make something up. Something believable. It doesn’t have to be greatly detailed, though she’ll still probably ask like ninety questions.” 

“And this is just for Christmas?” 

“She’s coming to visit the week of. I figured you’d drop by for Christmas Eve and Christmas. You know, have dinner, give gifts and all that. You wouldn’t have to buy my ma anything, I can provide those.”

“And when she leaves?” 

“She doesn’t come to California often. She likes the snow and the changing of the leaves. I’ll visit her in the summer and by then I can figure something out. You know, meet someone new or just say you couldn’t make it.” 

“And telling her you got dumped is more difficult than all that?” 

Daniel sighed, placing his hands on the table. “I don’t want to give you some sob story, but my ma is like, _obsessed_ with me being happy. It could be a million and one things, but if I tell her I got dumped, I’ll never hear the end of it and she’ll wind up begging some girl from my old neighborhood to come to California and marry me on the spot.” 

“It can’t be that bad,” Johnny suggested. 

“It can be and it is. Look, I come from an Italian background where everybody married their high school sweetheart and stayed in the same town we grew up in. I’m about to turn twenty-seven and while that is still remarkably young, both my parents were married and had me by that age. Being into guys slowed me down a bit, but eventually, it’s going to be too much for my ma.” 

“So what, we just play a happy couple for a week and you’re really going to give me five hundred dollars?” Johnny asked bluntly, figuring they get that part over with. 

“I know I’m asking a lot of someones. Pretending to give a shit romantically isn’t an easy task, so I figured I would make it worth their while. I have a pretty decent job. I’m not rolling in the dough, but I am comfortable.” 

Comfortable. Johnny couldn’t remember a time when he was comfortable. Even living in that big house with his mom and step-dad, he always felt like he was wearing clothes that were just too tight. He was exhausted from pretending to be so happy to fit their dollhouse-like portrayal. 

“It seems too good to be true,” Johnny admitted, his arms folding over his chest.

“So long as your morals don’t get crushed,” Daniel mentioned, though Johnny waved him off. 

“I gave those up a long time ago.” He joked. “Is there anything you need to know about me?” 

“Do you have a place of employment?” 

“I work multiple jobs. During the day, I’m a freelance handyman. During the night, I’m a bodyguard or bouncer, whatever you want to call it for a bar downtown.” Johnny licked his lips, rubbing his jaw as he thought over his next sentence. “I’m also a licensed karate instructor.” He added, just so he could have someone other than Shannon hear him say the words. 

“Really?” Daniel asked, sitting up in his seat. His face lit up in a way that took Johnny’s breath away and he glanced off to get himself back into focus. “I do karate. I have this friend, he’s more like a family, but he taught me everything I know. Maybe we could spar some kind?” 

“Excited to get me on the mat, Larusso?” Johnny teased, watching as the other man blushed brightly across the table. “And what about you? Where do you work that makes you so comfortable?” 

“I restore vintage cars and sell them to dealerships,” Daniel revealed. “Not the most flashy job, but some places will pay big bucks just to have something from the old days on their lot.” 

“No kidding. I have an original firebird. My first and only beauty.” 

“I’m sure she’s gorgeous.” 

“Maybe you could take her out for a spin sometime,” Johnny offered, digging his nails into his leg for being dumb enough to flirt with the guy. It was bad enough he was attractive, but the money was good and he didn’t need to mess it up because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. 

“Depends, do we have a deal?” Daniel questioned, quirking a brow upwards. 

He wondered if they had to sign a contract or if this would just be a deal set in words alone. Could he trust this guy to fork over the money when it was all said and done or was he just getting his hopes up? Johnny didn’t really have much to lose so he figured he could at least have fun with this while he could. 

Lifting his hand, he offered it to Daniel once more. “You just got yourself a boyfriend,” 

Daniel, in response, smiled brightly and took Johnny’s hand to shake in agreement. “Thank you, seriously. It will be an honor to court you for the next few weeks. I promise it’s going to be perfect. Well, almost.” 

It was Johnny’s turn to perk a brow and his head cocked slightly as he looked at the other man. “Almost?” 

“The only thing I really told my ma was that I was dating a brunette. She always makes fun of me for preferring blonds, so I thought she’d find it funny that I found another dark-haired beauty to show off.” 

Brunet. Huh. 

“I can fix that.” 


	2. Eleven Pipers Piping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you all again so much for the response to this story. I thrive on all your thoughts about thus fluffy little tale!

Sitting in a chair in the middle of Shannon’s kitchen wasn’t the strangest place Johnny had found himself. On Halloween, after being convinced to try peyote for the first time, Johnny found himself in Shannon’s apartment, still wearing his golden swim shorts that Shannon had given him since they were going as Rocky and Janet from Rocky Horror Picture Show. That night was by far the most unforgettable night he’ll never fully remember. 

It seemed so long ago, back when they were just college dropouts with no real hopes or dreams. At least none that would be taken seriously. 

Johnny had never allowed Shannon to mess with his hair, though she had done other things to him to practice for her cosmetology license. He had gotten his ears waxed and eyebrows threaded. He’s had cucumber facials and even let her give him a manicure just because she bitched so much on how rough his nails were because of his job. 

But his hair was sacred to him and whenever she would try to cut it or even dye it, he would usually give her nothing more than a big fat no. Especially since he had been working on growing it out for some time and wanted to actually get used to the style he was currently rocking. 

Daniel was apparently dating a brunet however and while Daniel insisted that it was fine and they could just say he bleached it blond, he knew it wasn’t going to work. His golden locks were the real deal and not from a bottle. 

So he went to the store and picked up a color that didn’t look too out of his comfort zone and made his way to Shannon’s place. She was ecstatic at the idea of finally being able to work on him, consistently running her things through his hair just to marvel at it. 

“Are you going to tell me why you’ve made this decision? Or did you finally snap and you’re in the middle of having a quarter-life crisis?” 

Johnny thought about what answer to give. Of whether or not he should tell her about the arrangement or just make something up for the sake of keeping her out of the loop. Shannon was a nosey bitch at best and despite his admiration for her, he knew better than to tell her that he was pretending to be with someone just for the sake of getting some extra cash. 

“Just thought I’d go for a change. Rumor has it men prefer brunets.” 

“I’ve been both. They really don’t care either way.” Shannon confessed, shaking the bottle of hair dye after pouring in the developer. “Final chance to back out.” 

Johnny took one last look in the mirror Shannon had set up on the counter. He’s had blond hair for as long as he’s had hair, something he shared with his mother up to this point. Turning away, he leaned back in his chair. “Let’s do this.” 

Shannon got to work, applying the dye all over and making sure that he didn’t get any on his face. She had applied vaseline against his forehead and ears, saying it kept the dye from staining his skin. The dye burned, much to his dismay, and itched and every time he tried to scratch it, Shannon slapped his hair away. 

She made him bend over the sink so she could wash it all out, running the towel on his head like he was a dog straight from the bath. 

Overall, he didn’t look hideous. Different, but not so much that he didn’t recognize himself. She trimmed his hair slightly, though kept it the current length as he had been working on growing it out for a while now. 

It wasn’t super dark and Shannon promised that it would lighten as the days went on. He had gotten a shade that would gradually fade away and Shannon insisted that she could bleach it back if need be, though Johnny was fine with it for now. 

He could survive having dark hair until the new year and would go back to being the blond god he was known as soon enough. 

Daniel seemed to like the style when they met up a few days later. He reached up to touch it, blushing at how blase he had been about it, and pulled his hand away sheepishly. “Sorry. It looks good.” 

“Think mommy will approve?” 

“Of you? Can’t imagine why she wouldn’t.” 

They decided to grab dinner and get to know one another. Even if they didn’t have to act like they were blissfully in love, they still had to at least get along and be comfortable around each other. Johnny chose this time around, bringing him to a pub that served decent burgers and wasn’t overly populated. 

“Is there anything about you I should need to know? Any allergies or something like that?” 

“Other than bullshit?” Johnny asked, smacking the bottom of the kitchen bottle to get the ketchup out. “None. Favorite food?” 

“Sushi. Mr. Miyagi, my mentor, came from Okinawa and made the best fresh sushi around.” 

“I’ve never had sushi,” Johnny admitted, popping a fry into his mouth. “I don’t like a lot of fish and uncooked fish just doesn’t sit right with me.” 

“You should give it a try, I promise it’s life-changing.” Daniel insisted. “Any foods to avoid? Other than fish.” 

“Nope,” Johnny replied, his lips popping the “P” as he glanced over to the other male. “You?” 

Daniel shook his head, finishing his bite and swallowing it down. “My ma was one of those parents that always guilted you into finishing your entire plate, so there really isn’t much I won’t eat.” 

“Good to know. Did you figure out how we met?” 

“I was hoping we could do that today. I had a few ideas, but I wanted to run them by you.” Daniel explained, pulling out a notepad he had tucked away in his pocket. 

“Christ, you’re a nerd.” Johnny teased, watching him flip it open dramatically.

“One, we met at a bar. It’s not very original and the only reason I want to avoid that is that my ma will wind up asking whether or not it was a gay bar. Two, we met through friends, which could work but we don’t actually have any friends that are connected so we’d have to name-drop people and complicate it even more.” 

“You could tell her we met through the paper. Desperately Seeking Gorgeous Blond. Well, brunet. Must be packing a six-pack and nine inches.” 

“Very fun-wait,  _ nine _ inches?” 

“And that's when it’s cold out,” Johnny replied, smirking behind his beer. 

Daniel snorted, flipping him off across the table. “Do you have any real suggestions?” 

Johnny put his bottle down, licking his lips as he thought it over. He knew all about overdramatized meet-cutes from Shannon who wanted to eventually fall in love with someone uniquely and cutely. It had to be natural, even if Mrs. Larusso didn’t know anything about him. If he was going to lie, he at least wanted it to be a believable lie, even to himself. 

“There’s karate in the park sometimes,” Johnny mentioned. “Or there was, during the summer. When I first got my certification, I volunteered there just to get my name out. You can tell her we met through that.” 

Daniel paused, doing the mathematics in his head. They were to have met sometime in August, which was around the time the park had offered all the free activities. It was certainly plausible. “Yeah. That could work actually. We met, while you were teaching the class and we hit it off.” 

“You can tell her I offered to show you some moves back at your place and we’ve been in homosexual heavenly bliss ever since,” Johnny mentioned, earning a glare from Daniel. 

“I really don’t need my mother thinking about my sex life, okay?” 

“What other questions is she going to ask?” 

“Knowing her? Anything. Everything.” Daniel sighed, focusing back on his burger.

They spent the remainder of their meal trying to get to know one another, learning little details that a significant other would know. He learned that Daniel’s favorite movie is Rocky and that he hates country music. He is nearly fluent in Japanese thanks to this family friend and has worked hard to lose his New Jersey accent as he doesn’t think it makes him sound very professional. 

And Daniel learned all about Johnny’s record collection and how he has seen Cyndi Lauper in concert whenever she’s playing in California. He knows that Johnny has been out since he was 21 and living on his own since he was 22. 

Daniel liked to show affection, so they talked about whether or not they should kiss in front of his mom or do anything else. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Daniel said as they left the pub. 

Johnny paid for their meals, because even though he wasn’t making good money like Daniel that didn’t mean he couldn’t pay for their meals. 

“Kissing you won’t make me uncomfortable, Daniel. We’re both into guys, right?” 

“I didn’t mean it like that. We’re not really together, so I don’t want you to feel forced to touch me or anything like that.” 

“You’re sweet,” Johnny replied, twirling his keys on his finger as they approached his car. “But I think I can handle kissing you.”

“This is your car? She’s beautiful, Johnny. 1990?” 

“‘91. You have a good eye.” 

“Cars are my life, man,” Daniel admitted, running his fingers over the hood. 

“Back in high school, I drove an Avanti convertible. She was even better than this.” 

“What happened to her?” 

“Sold her for some cash. Used it to buy my first real place. Picked this up on the cheap from some guy who won it in a wicked poker game.” 

“I think you’re the real winner here, John,” Daniel muttered, going to lean against the hood. 

He was smiling as Johnny and with the way the light was hitting him, he found it odd that Daniel would think he would have to be forced to touch him. If Johnny had been bold enough, he would have touched him right there. He would have run his fingers through Daniel’s hair, just as Daniel had done to him. He would get closer until they were chest to chest and nose to nose before finally leaning in and down to press their lips together. 

But Johnny wasn’t as bold as he liked to be. He could flirt and make crude comments but actually putting himself on the line never worked out well for him, so instead, he waited until Daniel got off of his car before going to open the door. 

“We still have to figure out where we went on our first date.” Daniel reminded him. 

“We just went on it, dingus,” Johnny replied, slipping into the driver’s seat. He started the engine, smirking at Daniel as he leaned out the window. “I’m a gentleman. I took you to dinner and then I rocked your world afterward.” 

Daniel rolled his eyes, still not completely annoyed with Johnny making such comments. “You haven’t rocked my world, Johnny.” 

“Yet!” Johnny called out before leaving the parking lot. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you thought down below! This fic is truly a piece of my soul and means so much to me.


	3. Ten Lords A Leaping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is adoring this fluff-fest and thank you especially to WickedBlackBird for making the moodboard! I am absolutely in love with it! I’m still trying to figure out how to add it onto here because it won’t allow me to copy/paste but you can see it on my Twitter: AmyleeDeacon — feel free to follow and interact!

The days until Mrs. Larusso’s arrival had begun to dwindle and Johnny was trying his best to get himself into the headspace of what he was actually agreeing to. He had been a boyfriend before, but only to women and while none of them seemed to complain, Johnny knew he was mostly playing a part. He was so deep in the closet that he didn’t even know being with a guy was an option until it literally appeared before him. 

He wondered if he could bring that person back. The people-pleasing mama's boy who had the silver spoon in his mouth. Shouldn’t have been too hard. He had been that guy for a good portion of his life, going back to that shouldn’t be too difficult. 

He could put on a shit-eating grin and tell Mrs. Larusso everything she wanted to hear. About how happy her son had made him and how, despite society still deeming same-sex couples as not exactly kosher, they were both very glad to be together. 

Surely he could do that right? Say the same shit he used to tell his girlfriend's parents, just this time it’s a little more true, right? After all, no matter how pressing the issue was, so long as she approved for the few days she was there, that’s all that mattered, right? 

Johnny was beginning to wonder if he was putting too much thought into this. If Daniel’s anxiety over the whole thing was actually rubbing off on him. He had invited Daniel over to hang out so they could go over the finishing touches of everything and Daniel was practically a bundle of nerves. 

It was almost adorable, seeing the guy anxious as hell, pacing up and down his apartment as he went over the final details. Johnny wanted to call him cute or really just say anything to get him out of this bubble that he had placed himself into. 

Daniel had agreed to pay him as soon as his mother left and even wrote up a contract because he was just that much of a professional. It had a dotted line and everything, and while Johnny thought it to be a little drastic, he signed his name away, figuring if it put Daniel to ease at least to a degree, then it was worth it. 

It worked out better for him this was as Zakarian, the landlord of the mini-mall that Johnny had been eyeing, agreed to give him until New Years' to give him the down payment. So long as they could put up a good show until then, they were both golden. 

Johnny was almost worried something else was going on, but instead, Daniel just lamented to him that he wanted this to go right. He needed this to go right because otherwise, he’d have a lot of explaining to do and he’d lose his mother’s trust forever. 

Johnny’s first instinct was to tell Daniel that he could just tell his mom the truth, he reminded himself of the money he so selfishly needed and instead just pushed forward with the narrative they were working on. 

“It’s gonna be fine, Danny. Just relax and stop worrying about it.” 

“Easy for you. You have the best part of the bargain. You get paid to just look pretty and get along with my ma. I’m the one who has everything to lose.” 

Johnny couldn’t help but smirk, shifting his seat on the couch where he was sitting. Daniel continued to pace, looking as dressed out as ever while Johnny, tossed his arm over the back of the couch casually. “While I am extremely pleased to know you think I’m pretty, I do have something to lose. My dignity, for one. If this goes wrong, what do I even say? Can’t tell your mom you’re paying me, it sounds like I’m a prostitute.” 

“Isn’t it called a gigolo?” 

“Wait, there’s a difference?” Johnny asked, shaking his head as they got off track. “Look, it’s going to be fine.” 

Reaching out, Johnny pulled Daniel onto the couch beside him. Daniel gave in, going to settle on the cushion as he shoved face in his hands, groaning from exhaustion.

“You need to relax, man,” Johnny commented, grabbing one of the bottles of beer he had set out on the coffee table in front of the couch. He pulled one of Daniel’s hands away, wrapping it around the bottle and bringing it to his mouth. “Drink.” 

He did so, groaning at the taste. “God, this is like gasoline.” 

“It’s cheap,” Johnny replied, drinking his own with no issue. He normally didn’t buy alcohol for the apartment, choosing to drink instead at the bar he worked at, but he wanted to have something to offer Daniel, even if it wasn’t five-star shit. 

Daniel took another sip before going to place it back down. He leaned back, glancing over to Johnny with a sad smile. “I’m sorry I got you roped into this,” He murmured. 

“It’s a job. Nothing to write home about,” Johnny shrugged, not entirely too disheartened by it. After all, they were each getting what they wanted, right? Daniel was pleasing his mom and Johnny was getting the money he needed for his dojo. “Could be worse. At least you’re easy on the eyes.” He muttered, taking another sip. 

“Are you gonna compliment me like that in front of my ma?” Daniel challenged, blushing behind his beer. 

“What kind of boyfriend do you take me for?” Johnny asked after swallowing. “Any partner who doesn’t shower you with compliments isn’t worth your time of day, Larusso.” 

Daniel blushed again, deepening his already tanned skin in the best of ways. Johnny wondered what else he could say that would warrant the same reaction, finding it utterly adorable and even a little bit sexy. 

“Is anybody worth your time, John?” Daniel asked him, catching his eyes as he glanced his way. 

Johnny could have easily shrugged it off and told him, no, but he was currently on a roll with giving out compliments so he figured he might as well end it on a good note.

“You certainly are,” He mused, curious to know if Daniel would continue to blush or roll his eyes. If he would grow tired of Johnny teasing him with endless flirting that goes nowhere. 

“Because I am paying you,” Daniel reminded him.

And Johnny, against his better judgment, snorted in response. “Trust me. It’s not the money that has my head-turning.” He revealed, figuring he might as well be honest.

Johnny was a smart guy. He didn’t finish school but he wasn’t an idiot. And yet the words to fully describe Daniel just wouldn’t come. Adjectives were bouncing all around his head but none did him justice. He was so pretty Johnny wanted to cry and it almost made him angry how such a gorgeous person could exist. 

He turned his head to see a reaction, but instead, he just found Daniel staring at him. Those brown eyes so big and round seemed to have a hold on Johnny and he wondered if there was some kind of mythical magic attached to them that made it so. 

Johnny went to speak, to ask him if a cat got his tongue, but he never got to say it. Daniel surged forward, kissing him suddenly. It was too quick and too hard and he only got half of his mouth. Daniel pulled away after a moment, rambling on with an apology and explanation. 

“I shouldn’t have. It wasn’t my place. I was just lost in my head and you were being nice, I am so sorry.” 

“You gotta work on your aim, Larusso,” Johnny replied, tilting his head down to kiss Daniel this time, with much better aim, mind you. 

He tasted like the bitterness of the cheap beer he had to drink and something else that Johnny couldn't fully describe, but Johnny's stomach ached for more of it. 

The kiss was brief, but only because he wanted Daniel to take the lead again. He had made the first move and it was clear this was something he was onto. He figured he might as well toss the ball back into his court.

And lucky for him, Daniel picked it up with ease, shifting closer to Johnny with his hand falling on his knee. They kept it slow and simple at first, with Johnny resisting the urge to pull Daniel onto his lap so they could get a better angle. 

Johnny wondered if this was a one-time thing or an added-on perk of being his faux lover for the time being, but didn’t get to voice his opinion. Daniel and Johnny were pulled apart by the sudden drops of water that were spritzing out of Johnny’s apartment sprinkler system. A loud alarm could be heard down the hall, followed by the voices of the other tenets crying out as they were rained upon. 

After the police came, the landlord revealed there had been a fire in the boiler room and while everybody was thankful that the place didn’t blow up, all the tenants would have to be evacuated until further notice. It wasn’t ideal and the landlord had connections with a nearby motel who agreed to put them up for the next few nights, but it was obvious he wouldn’t be in his own home for a bit. 

“Talk about a cold shower,” Johnny grumbled, figuring their night was officially over. It had been nice while it lasted, but now he had bigger things to worry about. 

“You could always stay with me,” Daniel suggested as he helped Johnny pack. A majority of his stuff was soaking wet save for his clothes that were folded away in the dresser and whatever he had shoved away in the closet.

“I can’t invade your space just because we made out,” Johnny mentioned, not wanting any handouts. 

He would talk to Shannon, see if he could crash with her until he was able to find a new place. Wouldn’t be the best since her couch was older than both of them but it would work for the time being.

“You wouldn’t be invading. I even have a spare bedroom you could use.” 

“One your mother will be using when she comes to visit, I’m sure.” Johnny voiced. 

“I’m sure we could work something out,” Daniel mentioned. He stepped closer to the man, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I want to help. What happened here was a freak accident, but I’d rather you stay with me than in some motel until further notice.” 

Johnny could sense the sincerity in his voice and see by the look on his face that he wasn’t doing it just to earn brownie points or give Johnny a handout because he pitied him. It wasn’t anything either of them could have done and while Johnny was immensely embarrassed that it happened while Daniel was over, at least he could say the fire wasn’t caused by him.

“Come on. I have a washer and dryer you can use. Maybe something to even get the grease saints off these clothes,” Daniel mentioned, holding up one of Johnny’s work jeans. 

“Are you this nice to all the people you french?” Johnny teased gently. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Daniel replied, reaching out to take the duffle bag from Johnny’s hand. “Come on.” 

With a gentle sigh and an invisible white flag of defeat waving softly in the distance, Johnny left his damp apartment and followed Daniel off to bigger and better things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading and once again thank you to WickedBlackBird for the moodboard, I promise to figure out how to get it onto the next chapter so help me!
> 
> Please tell me what you thought down below. I know some of you were crushed by Johnny dyeing his hair but I promise if you look of Billy in Shootfighter you’ll get why it needed to be done.


	4. Nine Ladies Dancing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for the lovely comments! I'm very happy that this story is making all of you as happy as it is making me!

Staying with Daniel wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Johnny had been on his own for about three years now so he had gotten used to waking up and not seeing anyone. Daniel’s home wasn’t an apartment like his own but an actual house. A small house, but still a house with a yard and grass and an actual driveway. 

Daniel explained while helping him settle in that he had gotten the place on the cheap and fixed it up.

“My ma and I lived in apartments our whole lives and after my dad died, we shared this tiny shack of a space. Once I moved out I made a promise to myself I would only move upwards from that.”

Johnny wondered what Daniel would have thought of his old home, back when he was a kid living in the hills. His stepdad was a movie producer and made the big bucks so he made sure to buy his wife a house she could decorate like the Barbie play mansion she had as a kid. 

When he left them to go off on his own he crashed with Bobby until he was able to get the place he currently has. It wasn’t much and probably even smaller than that shack Daniel talked about but it was home for the time being.

And now he was with Daniel until the apartment was fixed up again. The landlord was a sleaze but he wasn’t the worst. He was paying for all the repairs but he was taking his sweet time doing it all. Johnny didn’t know where he would be once the arrangement was over. He didn’t want to bother Bobby and his wife so he figured he’d wind up settling with Shannon until it was done. 

Daniel’s home and quaint and comfortable. He had it decorated with little trees and it smelt pretty nice for a bachelor pad. 

The plan was for Johnny to sleep in the spare room until his mom arrived and then after that he’d stay with Daniel. Wouldn’t be as if either of them had ever slept with a stranger before but unlike the random one-night stands, actual sleep was meant to go on. 

Johnny worked nights at the bar so the only time they’d have to be in bed together was in between Johnny coming home from work after four and Daniel waking up between six and seven. when Daniel woke up to head into work.

“If you are your own boss why are you waking up so early?” Johnny questioned as they settled in the kitchen. They had gotten takeout just to have something to eat for the night and we’re going back and forth with the containers.

“I’m an early bird. I like to get up and exercise, sometimes I’ll spar with the old man if he is around.” 

“Are you going to tell the old man about me?” Johnny asked, twirling his noodles with his fork.

Daniel, who was using the chopsticks with ease, laughed shortly. “Probably not. He’s back in Japan for the holiday. By the time he comes back, ma will be gone and this arrangement will be finished.”

Johnny hummed, focusing more on his meal than anything. 

He wasn’t stupid enough to get caught up in anything especially when money was on the line. It was a deal made in heaven and Johnny planned on doing everything he could to please Daniel’s mother to keep up this charade for him. Couldn’t be that hard right?

The day she arrived Johnny had a job on-site and wasn’t there to pick her up from the airport with Daniel. He tried to keep himself from feeling nervous and repeatedly reminded himself that Mrs. Larusso was just like any other lady. All he had to do was be kind and respectful and everything would be fine. 

He made sure to bring clothes with him so he could change afterward, not wanting to show up covered in soot and plaster. He checked himself over in the mirror in the car, making sure his face was clean and his hair looked fine. 

For a small moment he thought about backing out, forgetting about the money he so desperately needed, but he couldn’t do that to Daniel, even if it meant lying to this poor woman who just wanted the best for her son. 

So instead he parked beside Daniel’s car in the driveway, grabbed the bouquet he picked up on the way home because he wanted to make a good impression, and made his way into the house. Johnny could hear Daniel and his mother laughing from the kitchen and after taking a moment to get himself in the right headspace, he pushed further through the house, walking into the kitchen doorway. 

“Oh! You’re back,” Daniel replied, looking at his watch even though Johnny told him he would be back around this time. “Ma, this is Johnny.” 

Johnny watched as the dark-haired woman turned to greet him. Mrs. Larusso was older than his own mother, though that was on account of her being a teen mother. She lucked out finding a rich husband who spoiled her and willingly took in her bastard child. 

Mrs. Larusso, from what he’s learned from Daniel, got married after high school to her first and only boyfriend, staying with him until Mr. Larusso passed away. She’s been single ever since and enjoying her life in New Jersey. 

Daniel had told him how he tried to convince his mom to move down to California to be closer to him, but she preferred being near the rest of her family and the cemetery where her husband was buried. Daniel figured if he ever got married or at least had a kid, she’d be more willing to stay, but for now, she didn’t want to cramp his style. 

“Well, hello. Daniel was right. You are a knockout.” Mrs. Larusso mentioned. 

Johnny wondered if he told her that if Daniel had been talking about him or his ex. Regardless, Johnny sent a glare to Daniel, who was back to blushing over his mother’s words. “I could say the same about him,” He noted, moving deeper into the kitchen. 

He offered the flowers, hearing a gasp and a hand over the heart from Mrs. Larusso. “I’m glad to finally meet you, Mrs. Larusso.”    
  


“Please, call me Lucille.” She insisted, standing to meet her. 

She pulled Johnny into a hug, one Johnny hadn’t received in quite some time actually. It was warm and welcome, and motherly all in one go and it was almost scary how it affected him. Johnny pulled away before he let himself get too comfortable, glancing off to Daniel as he offered a polite smile. 

“Lucille it is. Daniel told me a lot about you.” 

“Good and bad, I’m sure.” Lucille mused, glancing over to Daniel who was still blushing in the corner. 

“Only good.” Daniel insisted, standing from his chair and taking the flowers from his mother so he could place them in a vase. 

“Has Daniel kept you entertained while I was gone?” Johnny asked, moving to sit in Daniel’s open seat, across from Lucille as she sat back down. 

“He was telling me about the fire you had,” Lucille admitted. “Such a shame about all the photographs.” 

“Photographs?” 

“Ma asked why we don’t have any pictures of us around the house. I told her that we lost a lot from the fire you had at the apartment,” Daniel mentioned from where he was standing by the sink. His eyes were wide and alert, and Johnny picked up the memo to go with whatever story Daniel had told his mother. 

“Oh! Yeah, a real shame. We looked so cute too.” 

“You’ll just have to take more,” Lucille told him. “Oh! You can use my camera. Daniel bought me this beautiful camera for Mother's day and I just had to bring it with me.” 

“Maybe tomorrow, ma. Johnny just got home, I don’t want to shove the camera in his face.” 

“Besides, this should be about you. Daniel hasn’t stopped talking about you visiting so now that you’re here, we should celebrate.”

“Oh, you’re a sweetheart,” Lucille laughed. 

“Johnny’s right, ma. We should go to dinner.” 

“Yeah, Lucille. Let us take you out.” 

“Oh, you don’t have to do any of that!” Lucille waved off both men, leaning back in her chair. 

Daniel came around, placing the vase of flowers on the table as he moved to sit beside Johnny at the table. “We’re going to be eating home-cooked food for the holiday, at least let us spoil you while you’re here.”

“We’ll go out for your birthday tomorrow, Daniel. For now, let me settle in.” 

“At least let us order in,” Daniel suggested. “I know how much like those avocado wraps.” 

Lucille’s excitement was obvious and she gave permission to order in from whatever place Daniel had taken her when she came to visit. Daniel was up and out of his seat, going to grab the menu so they could look through it, though Johnny wasn’t really focusing on that. 

Instead, he was thinking about what Lucille said, about tomorrow being Daniel’s birthday. And Johnny, his apparent boyfriend, had no idea. Surely that would have been something Daniel mentioned, but alas, he was left in the dark. 

Only when Daniel whacked him with the menu did he go back into focus, skimming his eyes down it quickly so they could order. 

He picked something simple and when it arrived he found that the food was actually pretty good. He made a mental note to grab the name of the place when he was allowed back into his apartment. For now, he waited until Lucille excused herself to use the restroom before ambushing Daniel.

“Your birthday is tomorrow?” He asked in a harsh whisper.

Daniel, for his own defense, looked just as surprised by this notion. “I’m sorry. I forgot to tell you. That’s why she came so early. We celebrate every year.” Daniel replied. “Look, all we do is grab dinner and eat cake. Ma usually bakes one because she says store-bought cakes are too impersonal.” 

“Is there anything else I should know? I can’t be left out of the loop here.” 

Daniel shook his head, turning back so he could continue his task of gathering up all the plastic take away containers and recycle them. “After this, it’s just Christmas. She’s leaving the 27th so after that, we’ll be fine.” 

Johnny let the topic drop as Lucille made her way back into the kitchen, intent on helping her son clean up even when he insisted that he could do it himself. Johnny took her to the living room where they sat by themselves for the first time and she was watching him like he was some piece of art out on display.

“So Daniel told me you met through karate,” she mentioned. “Not surprised. He’s been nuts about that stuff since he first came here. He got a scholarship, did you know that? The first member of my family to go to school out of state.”

“He’s a smart cookie. He must take after you.”

“Well, I don’t want to toot my own horn but I was the first to learn the system at my job and I’ve been bumped up to regional manager, so I think I got the good up here,” she replied, tapping her temple with her painted nail. “Where do you work now?” 

“Johnny is saving up to open his own dojo, ma,” Daniel said as he made his way into the room.

“For now I mostly work construction. I have a night job too, you know. Just to make ends meet.” 

“Daniel told me you haven’t been living together long. You know, back when I was young moving in together before marriage was a bit taboo but under these circumstances, I think it’s just wonderful that you have a place together.”

“We’re making it work, right John?”

“Also, seeing as marriage isn’t legal for us, I don’t think skipping a few steps will ruin our reputation,” Johnny replied, taking his glass of wine off the coffee table so he could return to drinking it. “Right Danny?” 

“Oh, he can call you Danny?” Lucille asked, smiling brightly at her son.

Daniel paused, seemingly frazzled for a moment before finally able to get the words out. “Well he is my boyfriend ma,” he replied hopelessly.

“Back when he was a kid he would always throw a fit whenever I’d call him Danny.” 

“Because you always said it in a soft voice like I was a baby.”

“You  _ are _ my baby.” Lucille reminded him. “You know back when he was a teenager he used to run around the backyard with one of my scarves wrapped around his head pretending it was one of those karate headbands.” 

“They’re called hachimaki, ma and you don’t have to tell Johnny about that.”

“He was the cutest little boy, Johnny. Gorgeous really. I’ve never seen a baby so pretty.”

“Glad to see some things haven’t changed,” Johnny noted.

“I guess you’re Johnny’s baby now,” she added, prompting Johnny to choke on his wine. 

He put his glass back down, laughing through the coughing as he sat back on the couch. “She’s fun, I like her.”

“Are you working tonight, Johnny?” Lucille inquiries. 

“Tonight? No, but I’ll be on tomorrow night.” 

The older woman frowned, looking between the two men frantically. “On Daniel’s birthday?”

“It’s no big deal, ma,”

“Besides, it’s a night job. I won’t be going in until around ten,”

“Do you think once you open this dojo you’ll be able to quit this night job?” 

Daniel groaned. “Ma, stop.” He requested. 

“I’m certainly hoping to, Lucille. We’ll have to wait and see,” Johnny replied, standing up so he could go refill his glass.

Lucille stayed up for another hour before retiring, exhausted from her plane ride and being awake since five am. Johnny stayed in the kitchen with Daniel to help him clean up, making idle conversation with him.

“At least it’s going well,” he admitted. “Your mom suspect anything?”

“Doubtful. We didn’t do anything to make her think otherwise.” 

“One day down. Just another week to go,” Johnny noted, drying his hands on the towel as he leaned back against the sink. 

“It could always be worse,” Daniel mused lightly. 

“Oh, way way worse.” Johnny agreed, moving his hand dismissively.

Lucille didn’t seem like the overbearing mother that he had imagined her being. Maybe she was a little too close to her son, but he was her only child and it made sense that she’d worry. They were on opposite sides of the country and with Daniel getting older and not settling down, Johnny was sure she was getting antsy. 

And even if Daniel was apparently dating a man that didn’t completely block out the possibility of him having kids. Adoption was a possibility or that egg donation thing or whatever it was called. 

Shannon had been looking into selling her eggs since they paid the big bucks for it and she had very little interest in being a mother. She was a party girl at heart and didn’t want to slow down to focus on some kid. 

Johnny had thought about donating his sperm but wasn’t too sure he wanted a little him running around this world without his knowledge. 

He didn’t know if Daniel wanted kids, but it wouldn’t surprise him if he did. He seemed to like that all American boy who would have the all American dream lifestyle. Two kids, a nice house, a beautiful wife, and a successful job. He already had the job and the house he was currently living in wasn’t big, but it was welcoming. He was already halfway there. 

With it still being too early to turn in, both men moved back into the living room so they could watch tv, settling on some rerun of The Golden Girls because it was the only thing on. Daniel seemed to like it, however, chuckling at half the quips that were given by the old ladies. 

They stayed there for nearly two hours, watching episode after episode, making small talk in between. It was enough to relax them both, getting them through the evening until finally, it was late enough to hit the hay. 

“I think I’m going to turn in,” Daniel mentioned after a long moment. “I have a guy coming to look at a car in a few days and I want to make sure it’s ready for him.”

“Working on your birthday, Larusso?” 

“Is it really work if you enjoy doing the job?” Daniel challenged him. “Are you gonna stay up for a bit?” 

Johnny thought about staying up for a bit longer, but he didn’t want Lucille to walk in on him and ask why he wasn’t in bed. Shaking his head, he followed Daniel into his room. He had spent the past few nights sleeping in the spare bedroom, which was pretty plain and simple, with no real decor to make it stand out. Daniel’s own room was a bit more decorated, feeling welcoming and warm. 

The bed was also a tad bigger, which was good since they’d have to be sharing for the next week. Johnny thought about going into the bathroom to change but decided against it at the last second. He figured if they were going to be sharing a room, they should get used to being around one, which or without clothing. 

So he undid his belt and removed his jeans, dropping them to the ground. He folded them carefully, tossing them into his makeshift hamper for the time being. He pulled off his shirt, keeping his undershirt on since he didn’t want to be in his boxers alone. He’d offer a bit of decency in this very trying time. 

He waited for Daniel to sit first, unsure of which side he’d prefer. Daniel changed into his pajamas for the night, and while Johnny thought about pointing out just how cute Daniel looked in his blue and green plaid pajamas, he let it go. Maybe another night when there wasn’t already so much tension between them. 

Daniel sat back on the right-hand side, leaving Johnny the left. Rather than just standing there, he moved to take his place, trying to give Daniel as much pace as possible between them. 

“You’re gonna fall off the edge, Johnny,” Daniel told him with a laugh. “Look, it’s just sleeping, right? Let’s just try to relax a little bit,” 

Johnny sighed softly, leaning back against the headboard. “Relax. Right.” 

Daniel mimicked his movements, leaning back against the headboard. They sat there, shoulder to shoulder once Johnny shifted closer, and they found themselves smiling like two idiot virgins on prom night. 

“One night down?” Johnny asked, glancing over to Daniel beside him. 

“One night down.” He replied. 

And with a nod, Daniel reached over and turned off the light.

* * *

Moodboard on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/AmyLeeDeacon/status/1335071962922618882?s=20) // [Tumblr](https://writeyourownlifestory.tumblr.com/post/636714530376974336)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to WickedBlackBird for the fantastic mood board which can be found on twitter and tumblr. Links are above. Feel free to follow and interact! I need more Lawrusso friends!


	5. Eight Maids A-Milking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, again my friends! I thank you all so much for enjoying this story. 2020 has been rough on us all so I am doing everything in my power to keep this light and fluffy!

Daniel was gone when Johnny woke the next morning. He wasn’t surprised, since he did say he had to go in and make sure that the car he was selling was good and ready for the buyer. He found that sleeping beside him wasn’t all that bad, though they did end up in some compromising positions. Once or twice he woke up with his arm around the other man’s waist or his nose in his hair. 

Not that be minded so much. Johnny wasn’t much for cuddling. He didn’t sleep snuggle with most of his one night stands, let alone spend the night with them and share the bed with them. He didn’t have time for a relationship, or at least that was what he told himself every time he left after the deed was done or held the door open for the other man so he could make his exit. 

It was just easier that way. He worked wonky hours, sometimes off the books. He had dreams of opening his own dojo, one he wouldn’t be shunned in just because he preferred men over women. And when that dream came true, that would be his entire world. He didn’t see himself ever having children or getting married, so his career was his main focus.

The dojo would be his baby, the dojo would be his long-winded love affair, and the dojo would be his family. To some, it might have looked depressing, but he didn’t care. Some people were just meant to be on their own and that was fine. Johnny just happened to be one of those people. 

For a week, however, he wasn’t alone. For one more week, he was someone’s significant other, someone’s lover, someone’s family. It was strange to see someone actually believing it and in the smallest part of his mind he wondered if it was even possible for him to be anything other than a lone wolf, but he quickly squashed that by reminding himself to call the landlord of the strip mall and inform him he would have the money for the down payment by the new year. 

All he had to do was continue to play the part of the perfect boyfriend and Daniel would be giving him the money he so very much needed. It was a fair trade, after all. 

Lucille was in the kitchen when he came out of the bedroom. He had remembered to put clothes on, saving the woman from seeing him in his boxers from the previous night. 

He attempted to make small talk, not wanting the awkward tension between them to be well, awkward. It lasted for a few minutes or however long it took Lucille to finish her cup of coffee. 

“So you have anywhere to be until tonight? You said you’re working tonight, right?” 

“I usually work from ten to four, depending on how busy the night is,” Johnny replied. The bar could go either way, with it being so dead he was left doing nothing to chat up Shannon and looking at her latest headshot models, or he would be breaking up a fight or keeping his eyes on all the people coming and going. There was no telling what it would be. All Johnny could do was show up and be there in case something went down. 

“Good. How about you take an old woman out on the town?” She suggested, already standing to her feet. 

“Huh?” 

“Come on! It’ll be fun. Daniel left me here all day with no car, so it’s not as if I can go anywhere on my own. You can help me pick out a birthday gift for him.” 

Lucille wasn’t asking Johnny, that much was clear. She was up and out of the kitchen, collecting her things so they could go. Johnny, still half asleep, starred with an open mouth, surely looking like an idiot. He had no reason to deny her, though he tried to think of a reason not to. He could have said he needed to do his own thing, but that wasn’t really an excuse. Leaving her behind would have been a dick one, one he was sure Daniel would get an ear full of upon his return home.

So after a moment of letting the math of it all scramble in his head, he put his cup down so he could grab his wallet and keys. Lucille, smiling triumphantly, followed him out to his car, whistling at the sight of it. “So this is your ride, huh? Did you get it from Daniel?” 

“The Firebird? Oh no. I got this baby all on my own,” He admitted, opening the door for her. 

There wasn’t much that Johnny had to show off, but his car was certainly one of them. He worked hard to keep it looking nice, to turn it into the beauty it was today compared to the rusted piece of junk it was when he got it. 

“Believe it or not, Daniel hasn’t always been in love with cars,” Lucille revealed as Johnny got behind the wheel. “That passion came when he met Mr. Miyagi during his college years. That man opened his eyes to cars and karate and everything in between.” 

“Sounds like a pretty good guy to me,” Johnny admitted, pulling out of Daniel’s driveway and in the direction of town.

“You haven’t met him yet?” Lucille asked, confusion laced in her question.

Right. If Daniel and he had been close enough to move in together, surely they’d be close enough for Johnny to have met whatever father figure Daniel had in his life. Johnny tapped his fingers on the wheel, trying to think fast so that Lucille didn’t catch his lie.

“The old man has been in Japan as of late,” Johnny mentioned casually. “You know, Daniel and me, we’ve only recently gotten serious and by the time that happened, Miyagi went back to his village. He’s coming back soon, from what I heard, and I look forward to meeting him, but I just haven’t had the chance yet.” 

“Well, you’re going to love him. Sweetest man to ever walk this earth.” Lucille said easily. 

Smiling through his relief, Johnny brought her into town, unsure of where exactly she wanted to shop. He figured the mall would be a safe bet and allowed her to take him from store to store, trying their best to find the perfect gift for Daniel’s birthday. 

Johnny, bless his heart, tried to help her, but it wasn’t exactly easy when he barely knew the guy. Of course, Lucille wasn’t aware of that. In her eyes, they had been together for months, dating weeks before that. And thanks to the romantic tale Daniel spun about him coming to Johnny’s rescue and that was why they were living together so soon, they were supposed to be even closer now. 

They went from one store to the other, with Lucille being seemingly unhappy with all her findings. He was her one and only child, after all, she couldn’t just get him a sweater and leave it at that. 

“I already got him a wonderful Christmas gift. A food processor! I want him to try cooking more. Can you cook Johnny?”

“I can read the directions on the back of the box,” Johnny offered playfully as they walked through the mall. 

Johnny had never cooked for himself until he was forced to move out on his own. His place didn’t even have a microwave so he was forced to figure out how to cook on the stove and in the oven without setting the place on fire. He liked to believe he does a decent job even if he is the only one eating it.

“Still better than Daniel. He’s been trying, thanks to Mr. Miyagi, but he hasn’t made anything other than little hors d’oeuvres or fish treats. Has he cooked for you yet?”

“I usually do the cooking for us,” Johnny lied.

“Well good! Maybe you can show him a few things. Anyway, I was hoping I would be able to find something here,” She vented as they stopped off at the food court, fulfilling their sorrows by filling their mouths with Auntie Anne’s. 

“There has to be something here that he’d like,” Johnny reassured her, gesturing aimlessly to the mall around them. 

The entire place was decorated for the holiday, looking like something out of a Hallmark card. It didn’t help with Johnny’s persistence of Christmas being over-commercialized. Yeah, it looked nice and everything, with the lights and garlands trying to draw you in, and to the most basic mind, it would. But Johnny was too aware of how fake it all was. How hollow the decorations actually were and how overpriced half the stores were during the time of year when giving was the reason for the season. 

“Don’t you just love Christmas?” Lucille asked, glancing over all the setups. 

Johnny hummed, placing on a faux smile as she turned to look at him. “Oh yeah. Adore it.” 

“Christmas was hard on us after Daniel’s father died, but he never let us pout about it. It was still a time for celebration, you know?” 

“Oh, of course.”

“Buying him a birthday gift was so much easier when he was a kid. A soccer ball or whatever video game was popular. Now, he’s a grown man, doing grown man things and I feel like I’m losing my touch.” 

“Lucille, your son hasn’t changed that much. Besides, you’re his mom. Anything you get him he’ll love.” 

“Do you still appreciate all the gifts your mother gives you?” Lucille asked playfully, and while Johnny would have loved to have dropped the conversation or changed the subject, he felt the need to be at least a little honest with her. 

“My mom doesn’t speak to me anymore,” Johnny confessed. “Or really, I don’t speak to her. She and my stepdad didn’t take my attraction to men very well, so we sort of parted ways.” 

“Parted Ways,” Lucille mimicked sharply. “You can’t part ways with family. You’re still family, whether she likes it or not.”

“Well, she doesn’t and I don’t really care all that much,” Johnny said, tossing away his empty pretzel container. 

He had gotten over the heartache his mother caused him. He cried his little adult orphan tears over it and found that he would rather be alone and be who he was than continue to live a lie even if it meant giving up his mother and a mansion. 

It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the only one he could see himself living with. 

“That’s not right, Johnny,” Lucille told him. 

And while he half expected her to give him some kind of profound words of wisdom or offer some motherly advice, she merely took his arm inside her own, pulling him back towards the stores. 

“I’ll just have to be your mother from now on,” She decided, leaving it at that. 

Johnny wanted to argue, wanted to tell Lucille that he was fine, he was a grown man and didn’t need his mother anymore, but she just continued to pull him along from store to store, trying his best to find items that would work for Daniel as she refused to leave empty-handed. 

In the end, she went with a radio that Johnny had pointed out, having passed by the window a handful of times. It was a vintage-looking thing that he was sure the nerdy bastard would enjoy and Lucille bought it without even thinking it over very long. 

Johnny bought a gift for him as well, one he found himself lulling over endlessly, finding it both a creative gift he thought Daniel would enjoy and also the stupidest item around. 

It was a hachimaki, or at least it could be used as one. It was a thick headscarf with a neat design that he thought Daniel would like. He remembered Lucille mentioning that he no longer hand one and since they’re a traditional piece to use while in a dojo, he figured the guy could use a new one if he was ever going to work with Johnny in his if he actually got to open the damn thing. 

Johnny wasn’t very good at wrapping gifts or even giving them, so he put it in a tie box the lady at the store gave him and secured it with a ribbon. It was probably more simple than it could have been, but he was happy with it and for a first time gift, he figured even if Daniel thought it was dumb, at least it was proof that he had been paying attention. 

When they got back to the house, Lucille was determined to bake a cake for Daniel. The man had already bought the supplies for her and she made a b-line into the kitchen so she could get started. 

Johnny wasn’t sure what to do, feeling like a stranger in a place that was meant to be his home. He stayed in the background, watching her work before she finally called him over and put him to work. 

Johnny had never baked a cake before. He had never baked anything before. His mom was a trophy wife who never had to go into the kitchen and even when it was just them, they usually just got whatever cheap food they could make on the stove. 

He felt like a child, listening to her instructions and doing everything she asked. If he said crack an egg, he cracked it without any shells going into the bowl and if she said to mix then he put his biceps to work and mixed. 

She rewarded him by letting him have to bowl and that’s how Daniel found him, sitting on the couch, eating the batter out of the bowl with his fingers. 

“You weren’t supposed to be home until later,” Lucille commented, snapping her hand towel at Daniel as she greeted him. “Your cake is still in the oven, you better not watch us decorate it.” 

“You don’t have to decorate my cake, ma.” 

“It’s your birthday, I’m decorating your cake.” She told him, taking the now-empty bowl from Johnny’s hand so she could wash it. 

Daniel went to sit beside Johnny, glancing at him for a moment before licking his thumb and rubbing it along his cheek. “You missed a spot,” He mentioned, showing off the dried batter that was on his face. 

“Oh,” Johnny replied dumbly, rubbing the rest of his face with his hand in an attempt to clean off anything else he might have left behind. “Thanks.”

“Any time.” 

“How was fixing up the car?” 

“Oh, great,” Daniel admitted, leaning back in his seat. “It’s a 70’s Dodge challenger. Real beaut! I did a wash and wax today, but I still have a few more things to go over before she’s ready to move onto her new home.” 

“Will it be a bitter departure?”

“Maybe a little bit, but I know the guy will be good to her.” 

“You two talk like the car is a person,” Lucille scoffed from the kitchen. 

“Cars aren’t just objects, ma. They have to be respected.” 

“They’re  _ cars _ , Daniel. Pieces of metal, rubber, and plastic.” 

Both Johnny and Daniel gasp, their hands falling over their hearts as if they had been scorned. While Daniel had gotten his love of cars from his father figure, Johnny found his on his own. With his mom being the perfect wife at the country club and his stepdad busy working, all he had was karate and cars. Both had become his life, with the latter having to be left behind for a while because he had to choose between eating and driving around a nice car. 

And as much as it pained him, he couldn’t choose the latter, especially when his stepdad had been the one to pay for the car in the first place. Keeping it felt wrong, so he sold it, using the money to move onto better things, even if those better things took some time to get to him. 

“Hit us where it hurts, Lucille,” Johnny commented, sharing a smile with Daniel as the older woman rolled her eyes and went back into the kitchen. “Happy birthday,” He added, tapping his knuckle against Daniel’s once Lucille was gone. 

“Thanks. Did she drive you crazy while I was gone?” 

“Only the normal motherly amount. I think she’s going to adopt me,” Johnny admitted.

“Lemme guess, you told her about your mom?” Daniel questioned. “I’m surprised she didn’t ask for her address. My mom doesn’t take too well to homophobes.” 

“She comes off as someone who might not own a gun, but definitely has some form of weapon in her purse.” 

Daniel snickered, elbowing Johnny in the rib. “Idiot.” 

“Does she have connections to the mob? You can tell me. Or are you sworn to secrecy?”

“We might be Italian but we’re not  _ that _ Italian.” 

“You say that but if I piss off your mother am I gonna get a horse head in my bed?”

“I don’t think the modern-day mafia deals with animal cruelty,” Daniel mentioned as his mother popped back into the room.

“So are we going to the Jade tonight?”

“Oh! Actually, I was thinking maybe we could try something different.” Daniel told her. “Johnny isn’t much of a sushi eater.” 

“We can go if you want to,” Johnny insisted. “I’m sure I can find something there.”

Daniel shook his head, placing his hand on Johnny’s knee. “It’s fine. There are plenty of other places we can check out.”

“It’s your birthday.”

“And I am not a picky eater.” He replied, only then realizing he was still touching his knee. 

In that small moment, Johnny had almost forgotten that they had previously made out on his couch. They hadn’t done anything since he moved in and he began to wonder why that was. Their impromptu make-out wasn’t exactly planned but they both seemed into it and he wondered had the sprinkler system not gone off what would have happened. 

Would they have continued to kiss and gentle touch or would they have gone further? Did Daniel regret messing around with him, even if it was just lips on lips? Or did he want to continue but was just too shy to say so.

Johnny thought about asking but perhaps on another night. Tonight was all about Daniel and he didn’t want to ruin his birthday by bothering him with things like that. 

When the cake was finished, Lucille left it on the counter to cool before decorating it. She refused to let Daniel see it, insisting it would ruin the surprise. 

She left it in the kitchen when they went to dinner, choosing a steakhouse that was a bit more upscale than Johnny was used to. Daniel insisted he didn’t go to places like this often and that he was just showing off for his mom though Johnny didn’t buy it.

His house was modest but he was a single guy living on his own. He had no use for a big family-sized house just yet. And he could so easily toss five hundred bucks down so he must have been rolling in the dough at least a little bit.

He didn’t question it, instead of letting Lucille pick his steak for him because she was apparently an expert, listening to her tell him all about Daniel’s childhood during dinner.

It had been just them for so long so she had plenty of stories to share; some embarrassing while others were plainly adorable. Daniel blushed deeply as she spoke about it all, obviously embarrassed and Johnny didn’t really help, poking his arm across the table of tipping his toes against Daniel’s foot.

Daniel paid when they were finished, tossing his card down without caring about how much it all cost. He was thankful they didn’t have the wait staff sing for him but his mother swore she wouldn’t.

Instead, they went back to the house and sang for him. Johnny had to think long and hard about the last time someone sang to him for his birthday. It was the year before he came out to his mother.

Back when he was still miserable and pretending like he wasn’t drowning. Back when he was living in the hills and being spoiled endlessly. That birthday his mom took him on a shopping spree at Armani in New York. He could get whatever he wanted. 

Little did she know the only thing he longed for wasn’t on the rack. Love and acceptance wasn’t something you could buy. 

Now he spends his birthday alone and he prefers it that way. Less disappointment. 

Lucille had decorated the cake beyond measure, adding little designs and writing Daniel’s name in beautiful cursive on top. She put one candle and lit it and after singing to him he blew it out with his eyes closed.

“All right, boys. Picture time!” Lucille called out, hurrying off to grab her camera. When she returned, Daniel and Johnny both smiled brightly though she seemed displeased with that. “Closer!” Both men lean in, keeping their smiles just as cheery though the older woman just sighed deeply. “What are you, strangers? Get together! Arms around each other. Come on, now.” 

Daniel released a nervous laugh and Johnny moved from his seat to stand behind Daniel, leaning in and wrapping his arms around him as he placed the good boy smile back on. Only after that did she seem pleased, snapping the picture with the flash blinding them both. 

“Daniel, you’ll have to help me get them developed tomorrow. I want to have enough memory on the card for Christmas.” 

“Yes, ma,” Daniel replied, patting Johnny’s arm to release him so they could dig into their cake. 

It tasted better than it looked mostly because it was made from scratch and not some store-bought cake or a boxed mix. Lucille insisted on telling Daniel that Johnny helped, hyping him up in front of his apparent boyfriend.

Daniel thanked him and they ate together, going to sit on the couch and watch a movie before Johnny had to leave. Had he known it was Daniel’s birthday he would have tried to get out of it but with it being so last minute there was nothing that could be done.

He changed his clothes, choosing something that let him blend in a bit more with the bar crowd. Taking Daniel’s gift, he left it on the nightstand for him before slipping out, wishing both Daniel and his mother goodnight.

The bar wasn’t too busy that night. Shannon was there, flirting for tips and trying to catch the eye of whoever was spending the most. Johnny didn’t have high hopes for her, especially since it seemed to be a crowd of regulars. No surprise as it was in the middle of the week but she was an optimistic person so she kept on trying.

Johnny spent his time by the billiard table, keeping himself occupied while also keeping his eyes on all the patrons to make sure no trouble.

He was decent enough at the game and it helped that the people he was playing against were either old, drunk, or both. 

Shannon had given up on trying to flirt and was instead telling Johnny all about her latest hair styling adventure. She was halfway through her story when she stopped, insisting there was fresh meat on the floor, and hurried off to sniff out their wallet.

“I was actually hoping….” He heard from behind him and Johnny turned to see Daniel trying to slip away from Shannon’s clutches.

He looked gorgeous in the low lights, with his eyes just peeking out from his bangs. Daniel had suggested he’d get a haircut before his mother arrived and Johnny was thankful that he never went through with it.

“Daniel. What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you. I know you’re busy working,” he noted glancing around to the nearly empty bar. “But I wanted to thank you for my gift.”

“You could have done that at your place tomorrow.”

“I didn’t want to wait,” Daniel mentioned, turning around to find Shannon staring at them.

“Go back to the bar, Shan,” Johnny told her, twisting his hands around the pool queue. “Did you tell your mom you were leaving?”

Daniel took his head lightly. “No. I waited for her to go to bed.”

Walking about to the table, Johnny mixed the balls up for a new game. “She won’t get pissed if she finds an empty house?”

“I didn’t plan on being gone very long. I just wanted to thank you for the hachimaki, it means a lot to me,”

“It’s no biggie. It’s not an official one or anything, but I figured you’d like it.” 

“I love it. And the fact that you even got me one is incredibly thoughtful.” 

“Johnny’s an incredible guy,” Shannon replied, appearing beside them. She had a tray on her hands with two shots filled with something strong. 

“I’m working and he’s driving, Shannon.”

“It’s one shot,” she argued. “Also it’s the cheapest vodka we have so it’s not even going to get you tipsy.”

“You’re a bad influence,” Daniel told her outright. “I like her.”

“Please don’t. She’s like a stray cat. If you feed her compliments she’ll never leave.”

Shannon purred softly, passing the shots to each man. Johnny groaned as he swallowed the acid flavored alcohol and placed the glass on an empty table, instructing Daniel to do the same.

“You play?” He asked, gesturing to the pool table.

“Oh! Well, I don’t like to toot my own horn but,” Daniel said, shrugging his shoulders as they approached the table. 

They only played one round but it was long enough for them to both get into it. Johnny didn’t want to brag but he was pretty fucking good at playing pool. Daniel seemed to be on his level and it kept him on his toes throughout it all. Johnny tried his old tricks to distract him, stretching his arms back and holding the queue behind his neck, letting his muscles show. It was enough to catch Daniel’s eyes, but not enough to make him miss a shot.

“My ma likes you, by the way,” Daniel admitted after sinking another ball. “She said you’re sweet. And you’re a real looker too.”

“I hope you agreed, Larusso.”

“Mother knows best.”

“Glad to hear it. I was worried she’d think I was boring since I don’t really know what to say. I’ve never actually met the parent of someone I was…” he gestured between them. “Dating.” He finally said, not knowing what else to say. 

Involved with? Business partner? The stranger turned friend? 

“I’ve never had a serious relationship other than in high school so she hasn’t met anybody else,” Daniel admitted. “There’s a reason I kept my personal life very vague. She gets too excited and too involved way too quickly,”

“You’re not worried about crushing her spirit when the new year comes?” Johnny asked curiously.

Daniel, for a moment, frowned as he twisted his hands around the cue. “I’ll deal with it then,” he replied, moving aside so Johnny could take his shot.

Daniel didn’t stay for much longer, not wanting his mother to stay alone in the house for the whole night. After knocking the final ball into the corner pocket and thoroughly destroying Johnny, he left the bar, thanking him again for the gift and a promise to see him in the morning.

Shannon was by his side the moment Daniel left, demanding to know every detail he could give. Johnny thought about leaving her hanging but they still had five hours together and he didn’t want to deal with her being terribly insufferable so he gave what little information he had or at least could come up with on the spot.

Shannon was ecstatic to hear that Johnny had apparently found a boyfriend and demanded that they all go out once the holidays were over. Johnny, not wanting to burst her bubble just yet, agreed and set the balls up again so he could play another solo round.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and tell me what you thought. I'm really trying to make this angst-free story, which is rough because I do love giving out tickets for the pain-train. 
> 
> Also feel free to follow me on twitter/tik-tok (AmyleeDeacon) and also on tumblr (WriteYourOwnLifeStory). Interact with me, I beg! I need more LawRusso friends!


	6. Seven Swans A-Swimming

Johnny got back a little after four, finding himself debating on whether he should take a shower right then and there or wait until it was a decent time. Usually, when he was back in his own apartment he would shower as soon as he got off work. He hates the way he feels when he leaves the bar, smelling of sweat, and smoke, and booze. But this wasn’t how home and he didn’t want to disturb Daniel or his mom if the water was too loud. 

He also didn’t want to just sit around and lay on Daniel’s bed being as sweaty as he was. So he opted to strip down from his clothes and just towel himself down, just to keep it sanitary. He’s come home far dirtier in the past thanks to asshole drunks who tossed beers in his face and whatnot cause they didn’t want to be thrown out.

Counterproductive but what can you do?

When he finally settled in he glanced over to Daniel who was curled up completely unconscious, looking unfairly adorable. He wished he hadn’t been so easy on the eyes. It made playing the part of a lovesick loser far too easy since he was just so damn pretty.

Falling asleep, Johnny woke a few hours later, checking the clock to see it was around ten. That was the norm for him if he didn’t have a site job. He’d sleep in all day and just hang out or do laundry. However, as he came out of the bedroom and found Lucille sitting at the kitchen table he felt embarrassed.

Faux relationship or not he didn’t want the woman thinking he was mooching for her son. Daniel wasn’t his sugar daddy or anything like that even if this was technically a money transaction deal.

“Oh good! You’re awake!” She said upon seeing him. “I left the coffee on the pot for you. Wasn’t sure how you liked it.” 

“Thanks, Lucille.” He murmured, going to pour himself a cup.

“You don’t have anything to do today, do you?” 

Johnny thought of his schedule and found it was wide open until later tonight when he’d go back to the bar for another shift. “Open as a field of daisies,” he answered.

“Good! Because I already got permission from Daniel to borrow you.”

“Borrow me for what?”

“For what? Johnny! Christmas is in six days! And do you see anything out of the ordinary?” 

She tossed her hand around, gesturing to the house. Johnny took a quick look around, not getting her point.

“There is no tree, Johnny!”

“Huh?” 

Right.

A Christmas tree.

Johnny hadn’t gotten one since he moved out on his own and he guessed Daniel was the same way. 

“I’m not letting him use one of those tiny bonsai trees again, Johnny. He did it last year and while I will admit that the set up was cute, the lack of an actual tree was practically disgraceful. You and I are taking a ride down and we’re going to pick up a full-sized Christmas tree and decorate it with all the fixing.”

“And Daniel agreed to this?”

“It will be a lovely surprise for him, won’t it?”

Johnny snorted, not completely sure how Daniel would feel about having a Christmas tree. He put lights up on the house but they were the crisp and clear white ones that flattered the outside of the house. Not like some people who go completely bonkers over the holiday. 

“Didn’t you decorate your place before moving in here?” Lucille asked him with earnest.

Johnny winced, rubbing the back of his neck. He thought of the old stuff he used to have back at Sid’s place. How the whole place looked like a winter wonderland thanks to his mom hiring the right people to do it.

There had been one piece from his childhood that he still had on account of stealing it the night he left which was an old nutcracker that he had bought his mom back when he was a kid. He had collected enough bottles and saved up his allowance to buy it after catching his mom looking at it in a store window. 

He had it stuffed away with the rest of his shit in the storage unit until his apartment was dry.

“We should probably get going then,” he suggested, downing his lukewarm coffee.

Lucille rushed over to him then, pulling out something she had inside her purse. “I got to work last night before going to bed,” She mentioned, pulling out a crochet hat. It wasn’t ugly, but far too colorful for Johnny’s liking. It looked like Christmas itself chewed up the yarn and puked out a hat. 

Before Johnny could say a word, Lucille leaned up and tugged it onto him, shoving him in the direction of the hallway mirror so he could look at himself. 

“Simply gorgeous,” She swore, patting him on the back.

And while Johnny was dying internally, it was the fact that Lucille even took the time out of her night to make the hat that pushed him to willingly leave the house in it. 

Johnny had no idea where they were going to buy a tree since he hadn’t bought one for himself since he moved out on his own and back when he lived with his mom and stepdad they always had hired professionals to decorate it. They got the tree imported from upstate New York so it smelt all piney and shit. The company would send someone in to decorate it with lights and ornaments. It was a pretty penny to buy, but it never came out of his pocket so he would just marvel at the beauty of it. 

Once he was on his own, Christmas was just another day to him. He’d sit home alone, watching whatever holiday movie was playing on cable. He’d order Chinese and sleep in, thankful for the rare bonus he would get from his boss if they offered it. 

Now he was driving around town, trying to find a place that still had trees available. Lucille had complained about the lack of holiday cheer in the car and began messing with his radio until she came on a station that was playing nothing but Christmas music. She sang along, demanding Johnny do the same. 

He sang along with faux enthusiasm, hoping that by the Christmas of 1994 nobody bothered to come out with any more annoying, repetitive Christmas songs. 

They continued to drive around until finally finding a place that looked promising. 

When they got there, he let Lucille do the talking, watching her negotiate the prices for some of the trees. It was clear the woman knew how to handle herself and it was quite impressive if he could say so. The salesman tried to upcharge them on some dull little fir but Lucille saw right through him and got him to not only bring the price down but upgrade them to blue spruce. 

It was a strange sight, seeing a tree tied to the top of the firebird, but Lucille was pleased and decided to celebrate by getting hot cocoa despite it only being in the low seventies. 

“My son tells me this is the coldest it can get here,” She mentioned as they sat outside the cafe. “I don’t think he misses the thirty-degree weather.” 

“I doubt it,” Johnny snorted. “I’ve lived here my whole life and the lowest I've ever been was in the high forties. And that was brutal.” 

“I could never be without the snow. Daniel and I agreed that we would rotate the holidays. This year I am here but next year he’ll be back in Jersey putting up with the cold. You might be too, come to think of it. You might turn into a Popsicle but I’m sure we’ll find a way to keep you warm.” 

Johnny hummed, not wanting to give Lucille any ideas for another holiday. The more he got to know her the more he felt bad about lying to her. It was Daniel’s idea of course but he was going along with it. And while he obviously needed the cash that changed nothing about how he felt about betraying this lovely woman. 

He wouldn’t come clean, however. It wasn’t his story to tell. That was all on Daniel and if he wanted to keep playing this game then Johnny would continue to be his pawn.

“You know, when Daniel told me he was into boys, I didn’t know what to think,” Lucille mentioned slowly. “Being so close to the city you can hear some terrible things. About drugs and diseases. It was only a year ago that Mercury fella died from the same disease that Reagan used to say caused all the trouble.”

“You don’t have to tell me all this,” Johnny insisted, not wanting Lucille to put herself in an awkward situation. He was used to this topic. He dealt with it on his own, with family, and friends, and members of Cobra Kai. 

Being gay was considered dangerous and while the public opinion was getting better over time it was still a reality that Johnny had to face. 

“I do, so lemme finish. I’ve met a lot of people in my life, John. And while I may not agree with all of them, they are human and deserve the same rights as I have been given. And while the government is fighting to disregard that I just want you to know, I have no ill will towards your relationship with Daniel.”

“Thank you, Lucille.”

“I’ve noticed that you and Daniel can be quite distant. Not emotionally, more physically. You don’t touch one another when I am around and I haven’t seen you kiss him yet. I just wanted you to know I am completely comfortable with it.” 

Johnny stared, not having a clue on what to say. He certainly didn’t expect that to be a topic of discussion. He guessed he and Daniel had kept a safe distance. They weren’t actually together and jumping one another’s bones after their make out wasn’t exactly on the top of their to-do list. They didn’t hold hands or put their arms around each other. 

Outside in the real world, space would make sense as they wanted to avoid being bashed by some homophobic piece of shit, but in their own home? It did seem a little odd that they wouldn’t touch at all.

“Now I’m not saying I want to watch you two play tonsil hockey but just know I’m not going to judge you.” 

“Tonsil hockey? Lucille, who do you hang out with, a bunch of frat boys?” Johnny laughed, standing to his feet so he could toss his empty hot chocolate cup away. 

“I’m hip with the kids, you know. I’m popular among my neighborhood youngsters.” 

Johnny had to stop himself from laughing, shaking his head as he turned back to face her. “Oh, I believe it. Come on, let’s go get this tree set up before Daniel comes back.”

Lucille followed, sipping her hot cocoa as they went back to Daniel’s home. She and Johnny rummaged through Daniel’s storage room until they found the old tree stand and skirt Daniel kept from two years ago when his mother last visited for the holidays. 

Daniel didn’t have any lights for the house, however, so Lucille and he went back out, going to grab the supplies needed because Lucille downright refused to stay in a non-decorated home. It was almost laughable how intense she was over the holiday, though Johnny didn’t question it, deciding to just do as she said. 

They set the tree up in the corner, moving it a couple of times until Lucille was happy with its placement. They waited until Daniel came back home to decorate, with Lucille showing off the box of ornaments she brought with her all the way from New Jersey. 

“Ma, I told you we’d get a tree this weekend,” Daniel mentioned as he walked through the door and saw the naked tree waiting to be dressed. 

“And then we’d be stuck with all the stinkers! I’m not celebrating Christmas with a busted tree where all the needles fall off and dry up the day after Christmas. Johnny and I picked out a great tree and for a real bargain!” 

“Your moms a hustler.” Johnny teased from where he was sitting on the couch. 

“Don’t I know it. She should have been the car salesman instead of me.” Daniel replied, hanging his jacket by the door. 

He went straight to his bedroom, returning a few minutes later in a new outfit, one more relaxed and comfortable compared to his dark khakis and dress shirt. Now he was in sweats and a sweater, rummaging through the ornament box so they could begin to decorate the tree. 

Lucille had a system, of course. 

First went the lights, which they had to plug into the wall to make sure there were no dead bulbs before wrapping it around the tree. They wound up having to rewrap it because they were uneven at first and Lucille refused to have an uneven tree. After that came tinsel, which was draped all around. After that came the ornaments, and then finally the angel on top. 

The ornaments had been ones that Daniel had throughout his childhood, some casual while others were flat out sentimental. Some he made when he was a baby and others that his dad had bought during their last holiday together. As they continued to place them on, making sure each side had the same amount as Lucille made it very clear she wouldn’t have a lopsided tree, Johnny found himself thinking about when he was a kid before his mom married Sid.

Back when they were living in a shitty apartment and didn’t have an actual tree. His mom worked too hard to waste money on something like that so they had to improvise. They used paper and taped it on the walls, coloring in the faux tree and decorating it with stickers and drawn on ornaments. He only received one gift at Christmas and it usually wasn’t something he asked for. 

One year it was a book on cars. Another was a new pair of shoes. He didn’t receive his first bike until after his mom and stepdad had married. They just couldn’t afford it though he was fine with that. Back then, he didn’t care about material items; being able to spend Christmas with his mom was enough. 

But that was a very long time ago. 

Now, he was spending it alone, save for this holiday where he’d be nestled in with the Larusso’s like he was an actual member of the family. He placed the worn in ornaments all about the tree and stepped back as Daniel placed the family’s angel that had been passed down from generations on the very top of the tree. 

Johnny excused himself to go set the lights up outside, though he proved himself to be a bit rusty. Everything was tangled up and some bulbs weren’t lighting up. He got shocked while turning it on and when he finally did get the thing strung up, it looked crooked as all hell. 

He refused to accept help, however, wanting to do something other than just stand there and watch as the mother and son did everything together. He may not give a damn about this holiday but he could at least pretend to. 

When he finished, he went back inside, hoping that Lucille would be pleased with his hard work. She and Daniel counted down before turning off the lights in the room and turning on the tree. Even Johnny, who could be a cold-hearted bastard had to admit it made the whole room feel so much bigger. It was bright and colorful, and most importantly, so very welcoming. The tree itself might not have been that great and the ornaments weren’t from Macy’s, but it felt real and wanted and could put whatever tree his stepdad could come up with to shame. 

Lucille brought some other things to help decorate the house. It was obvious that despite living on his own for so long, Daniel didn’t really treat his home like home. Johnny wondered if this was because Daniel didn’t plan on staying in the house for so long so he didn’t want to get comfortable or he just didn’t care for simple decorations. 

Regardless, he helped put the garland all around and hang the candy canes on the tree, stealing one to eat even though Lucille nagged on him for spoiling his appetite. There were some pictures of the Larusso family from previous holidays placed on every given surface and as Johnny got to the bottom of the box, he found a plastic mistletoe ready to be hung.

Rather than asking where he wanted it, Johnny made a b-line directly for Daniel, who was standing by the window, trying his best to use a can of fake snow against the glass. 

“Hey,” He muttered, making sure his voice was loud enough for Lucille to hear from across the room. He lifted the mistletoe up above their heads, smiling as Daniel’s eyes followed and settled on it. 

“Seriously?” Daniel asked, his lips quirking into a smile of his own. 

“It’s tradition, Danny.” Johnny insisted. “Can’t go back on tradition, can we?” 

“What a dweeb,” Daniel scoffed playfully, leaning in to give Johnny the kiss he was seeking. 

It only lasted a brief few seconds and wasn’t nearly as intense as their previous kisses but it was nice and when Johnny pulled away he caught Lucille grinning from ear to ear like the damn cat from Alice in Wonderland.

He did tell Daniel about what his mother said later that night while they were getting ready for bed. He thought it would be for the best that they both be on the same level. Daniel laid back against his bed and groaned into his pillow, distractive embarrassed by the fact that his mother wanted to give her approval of them being affectionate. 

“At least she approves. Pretty sure my mom would have used a spray bottle of Holy Water on us if she saw that kiss.” Johnny mentioned, going to sit back beside him. 

“Yeah but the fact that she thought we were trying to be considerate of her?”

“Look at it this way, at least she wasn’t suspicious of something else. We’re doing pretty well, you know, so far.” 

“Not well enough.”

“Maybe we’re trying too hard?” Johnny suggested. “Maybe we’re putting too much pressure on ourselves?” 

Daniel tossed the pillow down and rolled onto his side, those big brown eyes looking hopeful as they settled on him. “Do you have any suggestions?” 

Johnny thought for a solid moment. He didn’t want to say something bad and put his foot in his mouth especially when they had so much on the line here. He rolled over onto his own side, his head resting against his fist which was propped up onto his pillow. 

“I think we should just take a few deep breaths and go about our day for the time that she’s here.” 

“Translation?” 

“We act normal? Look, there is obviously some attraction here,” He gestured between the two of them. “I mean, you seemed pretty eager back at my apartment so kissing one another isn’t an issue.” 

Daniel was blushing again and he wrinkled his nose in an attempt to keep his face from turning any shade darker. “So what, we just make out in front of my mom?” 

“Well, no. She especially asked us not to do that. I won’t make you suffer by telling you her word choices, but if you’re leaving the house or coming home from work, we can kiss. If we’re on the couch together, we can hold hands or something. Whatever you would have done with your ex you can do with me.” 

Daniel sighed, going to roll onto his back and stare up at the ceiling. “I feel like I’m gonna owe you a lot more than five hundred dollars when this is all over.” 

“Hey, I’m reaping the benefits.” Johnny insisted, poking Daniel’s shoulder playfully. “If we have to make this realistic, might as well enjoy it all, right?” 

“You’re positive you’re okay with this?” Daniel asked, tilting his head so he can glance back at Johnny. 

Johnny wanted to tell the man there was very little he wouldn’t be okay with them doing together, but he figured he might keep it light and easy for right now.

“Completely,” He replied, deciding to press his luck by leaning forward to kiss Daniel sweetly on the lips before pulling away to cut off the light. “Goodnight!” 

Daniel chuckled then, the sweet sound filling the room as the darkness took them over. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucille ships it. What can ya do? Once again I thank you all for the lovely words! I'm so happy this fic is making everyone else happy. 
> 
> For a reminder of what these gorgeous guys look like, please check Ralph in "Naked In New York" and William in "Shootfighter" because I will never get over the 1993 looks. Iconic. 
> 
> Please tell me what you thought! It truly makes me smile when I get to see all your reactions.


	7. Six Geese A-Laying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're halfway there guys! Also, I foolishly forgot to mention this on my last upload but Happy Hanukkah to everyone who is celebrating! With that being said, please enjoy.

Kissing Daniel had definitely become a highlight of this arrangement. And while Johnny would have no issue taking it any further, he enjoyed the small moments they got to share, whether Lucille was watching or not. 

They took their agreement seriously which meant when Johnny woke in the morning and greeted Daniel in the kitchen, he was greeted with a kiss that tasted like the spearmint mouthwash he used that morning. And when Johnny had to head off to work, he has given a kiss goodbye that tasted more like the coffee that Daniel had been sipping on. 

Johnny had never had something like that before, a significant other that sought him out before he left and wanted to stay close to him during their time together. Daniel was lucky enough to wear his heart on his sleeve, so he knew how to be a boyfriend by this point. All Johnny could do was reciprocate anything he had been given. Not that he minded much. 

Johnny might not have been the type of guy you’d usually bring home, but once there he could make himself into whoever he needed to be. Small perks of growing up in a well-off household that demanded you play the part of the perfect son. 

This time of year was tricky when it came to getting work. Nobody wanted to pay extra because nobody wanted to work this close to the holiday, but he was willing to do it especially since there was always somebody who needed a job done. 

He had set up nativity scenes at churches or lights for a school dance. He had been in and out of town, fixing this for familiar clients or strangers. He just had a handful of odd jobs this time around and would be back by the late afternoon, giving him time to relax before he had to head to the bar. 

Christmas was only five days away up to this point, with Christmas Eve being only four. Daniel, so focused on work, hadn’t gotten any Christmas shopping done. Johnny, of course, made fun of him for being so last minute mostly because everything about Daniel makes it seem like he’d be an early shopper. He was so careful and so particular you’d think he’d buy his Christmas presents in the summertime. 

But alas, he hadn’t bought a thing and found that he was a little lost and chose the exact moment Johnny was walking through the door after work to head out to the mall in hopes of finding something special. He lied and told his mom he was off to sell a car to someone so they could have it by Christmas and he invited Johnny to come with him. 

Johnny changed his clothes and followed along, letting Daniel drag him all around the mall the same way Lucille had done just a few days prior. 

Apparently, he always bought his mom something nice for Christmas and didn’t want this year to be any different. Usually, it’s perfume and a pair of clothes or a designer scarf and a painting to hang up in the house. This year he was somewhat clueless, having spent most of his time focusing on his job.

“Mr. Miyagi and I have been doing so well that I barely leave the lot,” Daniel mentioned as they searched the racks at Bloomingdales. “I think that’s part of the reason I got dumped.”

“You think? She didn’t give you a reason?” Johnny asked, his eyes rolling back as he checked the price tag on a dress. 

Long done were the days when he used to swipe his step dad’s credit card and buy whatever he wanted without even bothering to look at the price tags. He shuddered at the thought of how much money he must have cost that bastard, but then remembered that the guy was indeed a bastard and smiled at the realization that it must have been thousands from the time he was a child to his early 20’s.

“To be honest, it was a couple of things,” Daniel confessed. “I worked a lot, but that wasn’t an issue because she worked a lot too. She was a manager at a dealership so she knew about cars. Or at least how to sell them. Actually, I think it was the karate that turned her off.” 

Johnny paused, turning to face Daniel then. “What?” 

“I tried to get her to do it a couple of times, but she never really seemed interested. And whenever I would talk about it she would just roll her eyes and change the subject. She said it was a distraction.” 

“ _ Distraction _ ? A key component of karate is  _ focusing _ . That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!” 

“Right? I mean, I never missed a date, I was always there for her when she needed me but just because I’d rather spend my weekend at the dojo than at some winery that doesn’t mean I’m a bad boyfriend.” 

“Nah, fuck her. If she can’t respect your passion for literal martial art then she isn’t worth your effort.” 

“Maybe it’s for the better,” Daniel muttered, sighing deeply as he looked around. “Okay, I’m finding nothing here.” 

“Maybe we should move out of the clothing section? Does your mom need a new handbag or something?” Johnny suggested, leading him out into the aisle. 

Despite Daniel liking to spoil his mom, she was never really in need of anything fancy. No expensive shoes or accessories. She rarely wore jewelry or did anything different with her hair, so it wasn’t even as if he could book her a spa day. 

One thing seemed to catch Daniel’s eye and it was a teapot sitting in the home section. It was blue Lenox with a golden lotus design. It was expensive, enough that they had to lock it up, but nice to look at all the same. 

“I doubt she’d use it. Probably just show it off for the neighbors to see,” Daniel admitted, searching around for an employee. “I’m going to find somebody to grab it for us.” He mentioned before taking off down the next aisle. 

Johnny took the time to look around himself, hoping to buy something for Lucille as well. Daniel insisted that he would provide Johnny with a gift to give his mother, but after a few days, the blond (well, brunet) took a real liking to her and wanted to actually put his own money towards a gift for her. 

He searched around a bit, wondering if he should just give in and ask Shannon to help him out, though that would mean having to go shopping with her, which would without a doubt be a nightmare in its own right.

Coming up empty-handed, he made his way back to the front to find Daniel, passing a woman who dropped a glove as she turned to the corner. 

“Hey Miss,” He called out. “You dropped this. Lady!” Scooping the glove up, he looked up to see the woman turning to face him, his stomach sinking as their eyes met. 

“Johnny?” 

“Mom?” He murmured, the word slipping out of his mouth before he could stop himself. 

“Johnny. Oh my god, I barely recognized you.”

“Hair dye can do that to a person,” Johnny muttered, holding the glove out for her. “You dropped this.” 

“I can’t believe this. What are you doing here?” 

“In a department store? I’m casing the place. What do you think, mom?” 

His mother, for the most part, didn’t come off surprised by the coldness in his words. “Sarcasm always was your strong suit,” She told him, looking him up and down slowly. 

Johnny shifted under her gaze, wishing that she’d just scoff and walk off like the handful of country club women he had reunited with over the years. All who were disgusted by the revelation that he was in fact home and thought he’d be burning in hell soon enough. 

Instead, his mother just smiled and looked him over, taking him in as if this would be the last time she saw him for a good while. And since it’s been five years since she last saw him, Johnny was hoping to break that record and go with at least another ten. 

“Are you here by yourself?” She asked curiously. 

“Yeah,” Johnny replied, stopping to correct himself a moment after. “No. I’m shopping with someone. And I have to go find them so I better get going.” 

“Oh. Of course.” 

“Johnny!” Daniel called out as he approached, the little brown bag that Johnny had seen so many times hung proudly in his hands. “One gift down. Did you find anything?” 

“Just something I wasn’t looking for,” Johnny muttered quietly. 

Daniel looked between his mother and Johnny, his eyes squinting as he took on the obvious resemblance. If his hair was still blond, it would be no contest in telling if they were related or not. The only thing to give it away was the eyes. Johnny had the same bright colored eyes like his mother and seeing as she still had her youthful glow that seemed to never disappear, Johnny wouldn’t be surprised if somebody still thought they were siblings rather than mother and son like they did when he was a kid. 

“Hi,” Daniel greeted her politely. “I’m Daniel.” 

“Laura.” She replied and if Johnny lived in a perfect world she would have just left it at that, but alas, he was born to suffer. “I’m Johnny’s mother.” 

Daniel, bless his heart, was silent for a moment, his expression warping into one of confusion and surprise. “Oh!” He muttered, looking back to Johnny who just wanted to sink into the floor by this point. “Well, this is a surprise.” 

Surprise. Not a pleasant surprise or more appropriate, an unwanted surprise. Just a surprise. 

“We really have to get going,” Johnny mentioned, doing everything in his power to not just run away.

Daniel, to his surprise, took Johnny’s hand in his own without hesitation, tugging on it gently. “It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Lawrence,”

“It’s Ms, actually.” She corrected him gently. 

“Mrs. Weinberg, actually,” Johnny mentioned.

“Lawrence,” Laura told him, lifting her hand to show off the bare ring finger on her left hand.

Johnny was at a loss, unsure of what to make of this discovery. It certainly wasn’t what he had been expecting during their shopping day but then again who really expected anything to go easy during the holidays.

Deciding to find out a bit more, Johnny agreed to go to the restaurant across the way so they could sit down and listen to his mother tell him what led to the removal of the ring. 

“It was a lot of things. The late nights and weekends away. The flirting with the actresses and secret affairs with secretaries.” 

“The fact that he called your son a faggot.” Johnny prompted. 

“I never said he was a good man, John. All I ever promised was that he’d take care of us.” Laura reminded him, sipping slowly at her tea.

“A promise you nearly kept since Sid planned on taking care of me by sending me to a conversion camp,” Johnny replied.

“I’m sorry when was this?” Daniel questioned, cutting in between the two suddenly. 

“Five years ago. He had a pamphlet and everything. He was just waiting for the right time to bring it up.”

“He was a suggestion, John. A terrible one but in his own way he was trying to help.” 

“With all due respect, Ms. Lawrence, Johnny doesn’t need help. And neither do I. Being gay or even bisexual doesn’t warrant seeking medical attention.”

“I am aware of that. Johnny might paint me as a monster but believe it or not I don’t see him as one. Or you for that matter.”

“No, but you were married to someone who did.” 

Laura wiggles her ringless finger towards him. “Not anymore.” 

“You left him because he slept around not because of the way he treated me,” Johnny reminded her. “You don’t get brownie points for that, mom.”

“I’m not looking for points, Johnny. I’m well aware of the mistakes I made, of the things I sacrificed so we could continue to live the life that Sid offered us. But after a while, I started to realize I was losing more than I was gaining.” 

“How poetic,” Johnny mused, glaring at Daniel who kicked his foot under the table. 

“Losing you should have been the final straw but I was too blind to see it. It took me three seconds after you walked out to realize that I made a terrible mistake not supporting you and it took me three years after that to act on it.”

“Where do you live now?”

“After finding out about the affairs I contacted the family lawyer. I filed for divorce and after receiving a hefty settlement I bought a penthouse uptown.” 

“I’m sure Sid made you nice and comfortable.”

“I’m doing all right,” Laura confessed, her expression faulting after a moment. She slouched a bit more, something Johnny always found to be her calling card. 

They had conditioned themselves to fit into the world that Sid dragged them into, which meant sitting up straight, always having a smile, and speaking only when spoken to. The way she presented herself there, where she wasn’t this picture-perfect housewife, it was telling. What it was telling Johnny still wasn’t sure of though.

“I’ve been searching for you,” she admitted softly. “I wasn’t really sure where you lived. I didn’t even know if you were still in California.” 

“Never left,” Johnny replied shortly.

“You made it very clear that you didn’t want me in your life but so much time has passed.” 

Five years. It had been five years and four months since he last saw his mother when he took his duffel bag full of personal belongings and left Sid’s home swearing to never return. 

His mother did ask him to stay. Begged even, promising they could work it out but that wasn’t an option anymore. The suggestion of conversion therapy and the possibility of shock treatment was too much for Johnny to bear. The blatant disrespect was one thing but Johnny didn’t need to be fixed. 

He didn’t need to be corrected. 

“Have you been together long?” She asked, glancing between the two of them. 

“Long enough,” Daniel answered easily. 

“How did you meet?” 

“Gay bar,” Johnny blurred out. 

He could feel Daniel staring at him. It came out of nowhere and was of course a full-faced lie but he didn’t care. Not like they were dating anyway. If they were going to come up with a story, might as well make it one that would make his mother’s skin crawl and have her clutching her pearls. 

“I think it was leather at night? Or was it a disco? I can’t keep up there are just so many gay events we go to.”

“You must have a lot of fun together.” His mother answered, the sincerity in her voice piercing through Johnny’s disdain. 

“He’s overselling it, really,” Daniel mentioned, squeezing Johnny’s shoulder. 

“You seem happy,” she admitted. “No surprise there. This was always your favorite time of year. Mine too.” 

“My mom's too,” Daniel mentioned. 

“Are you two doing anything Christmas evening?” 

“Our membership to the YMCA has been renewed so we’ll probably go there. Did we RSVP to the New Years' orgy?”

Daniel laughed then, loud and dramatic as his nails dug into his shoulder. “He’s kidding. Such a jokester is he. We’re spending it at home.”

“I would love to have you for dinner. I’ve been taking some cooking classes and I think Christmas dinner would be a great challenge.” 

Daniel blinked, turning his hand to glance at Johnny. “Oh. Well, that would be great but my mom is actually in town and we couldn’t leave her behind.”

“Oh, the more the merrier.” She swore easily. 

Johnny thought about just telling her no. Quick and outright. He didn’t want to be here right now so what made her think he’d want to spend Christmas with her? Daniel on the other hand is kinder and more gentle and wanted to put her down easily. 

“Would we be able to get back to you?” Daniel asked, going into his wallet to take out his business card. “You could call us tonight after we discussed it further.” 

“Oh of course,” she took the card then, putting it in a safe place inside her purse. 

“We should really get going,” Johnny said, standing to his feet. He went into his own wallet and tossed a twenty down on the table to pay for their drinks. 

“Johnny, you don't have to pay.” 

“I might be a gay mom but I’m still a gentleman. And isn’t that what you taught me? The gentleman always pays?” Taking Daniel’s hand, he tugged him away from the table, barely letting the man say goodbye before marching out the door. 

They did talk about it later on after returning to Daniel’s house. Johnny wanted nothing to do with the woman but Daniel with his bleeding heartfelt sorry for her. 

“She’s obviously had a change of heart and she wants to be in your life again. It’s one dinner, Johnny.” 

“On  _ Christmas _ ! I don’t want to spend Christmas with the woman who turned a blind eye whenever her husband called me a lowlife or freak.” 

“Ex-husband. She left him.” Daniel reminded him. 

Johnny scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, because he fucked his secretary, not because he was an asshole to her son.” 

“She did say it was multiple things.”

“She’s your mother, Johnny.” Lucille reminded him of where she was sitting, nursing her coffee cup. 

Johnny sighed, his expression softening as he turned her way. “And I am her son. Her gay son that she was ashamed of.” 

“Did she say that to you?”

“She didn’t have to say it. I saw it in her eyes whenever she would look at me.” 

All the years he had spent pretending that he was okay and that he wasn’t suffering. All the time he wasted hiding his true self because he was taught that being gay was bad and that he didn’t want to bring embarrassment to their household. And then when he finally did come out he was shown nothing but turned up noses and hushed whispers from the country club and disgust from his family. 

Johnny spent so much time on his own, relying on the few people who didn’t shun him and his own self-reliance. He survived on his own for five years without his mother and he could do fifty more if he needed to. 

“I’m not going to downplay it, Johnny. What she did to you may seem unforgivable. Loving your child should be the easiest thing in the world and when I see other parents who have children that are different and they resent them. It makes me angry. And I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t love to pull her by her diamond earrings into the nearest parking lot. But from what Daniel told me, she doesn’t seem like she has any ill will towards you. Perhaps she just needed time.” 

“You shouldn’t have to think about whether or not you love your kid,” Johnny stated boldly. 

“No, you shouldn’t.” Lucille agreed gently. “But I don’t think it’s a matter of loving you. It’s a matter of understanding and some people take a longer time to come around. Shouldn’t you be happy that she finally has?” 

“I don’t even know if she came around! She invited us to dinner, that’s all.”

“Wouldn’t that be the best way to find out?” 

The phone rang then and Johnny’s eyes sought out Daniel’s from across the way. It was obvious what grounds Daniel and Lucille stood on, being the better people of the three while Johnny was still a bitter brat who wanted his mother to suffer alone just as he had. 

“It’s your call,” Daniel told him. “I’ll stand by whatever choice you make, but you have to make it.” 

Another ring came out, and then another. With a deep sigh, Johnny pushed forward, going to the wall extension, picking it up. “Larusso residence.” He answered. “Hi, mom. I’m fine, you just saw me like three hours ago. Nothing changed. Look, mom, about Christmas. We thank you for the offer but….” 

And then he saw it. The gentleness behind Daniel’s eyes. The ultimate understanding, the sheer kindness, and the realization that the bastard only wanted the best for him. And here he was, ready to welcome this woman in or shut her out, it was all up to Johnny. And while the man would love to just shut the door on her, he could see the glimmer of hope still lingering in Daniel’s dark eyes and he cursed himself for being soft for pretty boys like him. 

“Daniel was really hoping to celebrate Christmas at the house, so maybe you could join us here?” He offered gently. “Won’t be as fancy as the parties at the country club, but I think we could throw a decent shindig.” He glanced back to Daniel who was trying to hide his smile, but it was there, too wide to ignore. He gave his mother the address and told her to call back to discuss what to bring tomorrow. 

When he hung up, Lucille hugged him tightly and he accepted it. It only lasted a little while, but he took it for all it was worth, and then when she pulled away, it was Daniel’s turn. He had never hugged Daniel before, but he found that he was leaning into it, engulfing the shorter male into him with ease. He felt Daniel’s nose nuzzle against his neck and he realized it was the first thing they had done that felt completely natural. 

When he pulled away, he laughed, turning his head up to avoid any possible tears from falling. “Well, this will certainly be interesting.”

“It’s going to be fine, John.” Daniel insisted, rubbing his back slowly. 

“Just pray for a Christmas miracle.” Lucille offered. 

Johnny huffed, going to flop back onto the couch. “Or plenty of booze to soften the blow.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how do you feel about Ms. Lawrence making her arrival? Johnny's not too thrilled, but Daniel is just too sweet to turn her away. Wonder what will happen to them now. Please tell me what you think down below. Also, please ask what you're asking for this holiday season. 
> 
> My only requests were records or anything baby yoda related.


	8. Five Golden Rings

His mother wound up calling the following day while Johnny was asleep, having returned from the club a little after five. The night was long and he was stressed with the outcome of his decision and then a group of college-aged kids came in and started a ruckus. It was a lot at once and Johnny wound up hurting his hand after throwing the group out and spent the remainder of his shift shoving his fist into the ice bucket. 

When he came home, he fell right asleep beside Daniel, having begun to grow used to the comfort of his bed. It was larger than his own and softer. He got his own second hand so it had been gently used which was kind of gross but it was cheap and he didn’t have any cash he could spare. Johnny would certainly miss the bed when the week was up, among other things. 

When he woke again his fist still hurt and after dressing he went off to the kitchen in hopes of finding more ice. Lucille was nowhere in sight and Daniel was just hanging up the phone when he entered.

“Hey. Afternoon sleepyhead.” He greeted him. Daniel kissed his cheek as he passed by to sit down at the table, coffee in hand. “That was your ma. I gave her the information and told her what to bring for Christmas.” 

“Your mom finally agreed to let her make something?” Johnny murmured going directly to the coffee machine.

Lucille had been adamant about what she wanted to make for the holiday. She made a big stick about it, refusing to let anybody else make the ham, or stuffing, or even the cranberry sauce. Daniel mentioned before Johnny went to work that she pulled this shit every year. It all had to be homemade otherwise she threw a fit so giving Johnny’s mom an important dish to make wasn’t an option. 

“I told her to bring dessert,” he answered. “Ma can’t really get angry about that especially since she’ll be making her chocolate pudding pie regardless so your ma can fill in the rest of the gaps.”

Johnny had no memory of his mother cooking, let alone baking. He wasn’t even sure she knew how to exclude the few things she might have made when she was a little girl still living at home. Johnny never learned to make cookies or a cake. It was either he was too poor to bother with such things or too rich to care. Never an in-between. 

“Can’t wait,” he muttered, clutching his mug in his hand as he drank slowly from it.

Daniel lifted his head to meet his gaze though it was quickly dropped in favor of looking at his bruised knuckles. The darker haired man was up out of his seat in seconds, taking Johnny’s hand in his own as he held it tight. “Good lord, Johnny. Look at you. What did you get into a rumble last night?”

“Tossed a couple of frat bros out of the bar; they didn’t leave willingly.” 

Daniel was on the move in seconds. He went to the freezer to grab an ice pack and wrapped it up in the kitchen towel before setting it against Johnny’s hand. After that, he went under the sink to grab the first aid kid. He rummaged through it before gathering everything he needed, tugging Johnny down so he could get to work.

He wiped away the dry blood, commenting about how it looked. “No good stitches. No broken bones. You obviously know how to throw a proper punch.” 

“Years of karate will teach you that,” Johnny commented, watching as Daniel’s hands worked on his own. 

He was wrapping it up carefully, having put ointment on to keep him from scarring. He couldn’t remember the last time someone took care of him like this. Maybe when he was a teen during a tournament. Back when his sensei wanted him in tip-top shape. Kreese was good like that. He wouldn’t baby you but he’d wipe away your blood and keep you from getting any worse.

Daniel’s own hands moved so delicately like he actually worried he would hurt Johnny. It was crazy to him just how easy Daniel would fall into the role of caregiver, especially to someone he barely knew.

Or maybe he did know enough by this point. Johnny wasn’t sure anymore. How much do you really have to know about a person before you could start to give a shift about them? 

Daniel lifted Johnny’s hand once he was finished, leaning down to kiss his wrapped up knuckles. “Try to be more careful next time,” he told him gently.

“Yes dear,” Johnny replied teasingly though he smiled as the word left the tip of his tongue, 

It felt good; natural. Normal. Fuck, Johnny didn’t remember the last time he did something out of character that felt so normal.

“So, my mom has plans tomorrow night,” Daniel mentioned then. “She’s having dinner with some big wigs from her company branch, I guess to discuss how the sales are over in Jersey, so I was thinking maybe you’d like to come to the car lot with me? You can see all the cars I’m working on and check out my own little makeshift dojo.”

“You have a personal dojo?” 

“Makeshift,” Daniel repeated. “Mr. Miyagi and I practice together so we have a little room dedicated to our lessons. It’s nothing like the place you’re hoping to set up, but it’s nice enough.” 

“Trying to get me down on the mat, Larusso?” Johnny teased. 

Rather than blushing and shying away, Daniel just sipped easily at his coffee, shrugging gently. “I like a challenge,” He replied. 

“As do I. Tomorrow night it is,” Johnny decided, smirking behind his own coffee mug as Lucille made her way into the kitchen. 

Johnny spent the late morning with them before excusing himself to meet Shannon in town. Seeing as he hadn’t been able to find anything for Lucille while shopping with Daniel, he thought it would be a good idea to take Shannon up on her offer. After all, who better to help shop for a woman with another woman?

He figured he would regret it halfway through, allowing the shorter blonde to tug him through the stores, suggesting each and everything she thought Daniel’s mother might like. 

“Daniel likes you enough to introduce you to her, so there has to be some kind of appeal. How can you be this awful at giving gifts?” Shannon asked him bluntly. 

“I’m not awful. Daniel liked his birthday gift just fine.” Johnny dismissed. “Look, I grew up a rich kid, remember? I never thought about what to get somebody. I just charged it to my stepdad's credit card and moved on with my life.”

“Now you have to put actual effort in. My heart bleeds for you, Johnny.” 

“Okay, can you stop bitching at me and offer some real suggestions?” Johnny rolled his eyes, looking over to the women's accessory section. 

He remembered shopping for his mom back when he was young, always going for a perfume or handbag. It was the same with whatever girl he was seeing. He bought what was popular at the time, not caring about the price tag. So long as it was in fashion, he would get it and move onto the next best thing. 

Johnny had some money to spare thanks to holiday bonuses and tips from people who liked his handy work, but not much so he had to be very specific when it came to his gifts. He already bought Shannon hers’s which was a gift certificate to the nail salon she always goes to. He got Bobby and his wife a wine basket. Now he just had to worry about Daniel and his mother. 

“She’s a New Jersey native. I don’t know if that makes a difference to anything,” Johnny mentioned as they walked through the aisles. “Daniel got a Lennox teapot. What if I get her a cup to go with it?”

“A cup?” Shannon mimicked. “She’s the mom of your boyfriend and you want to get her a single  _ teacup _ ? For fucks sake, Johnny.” 

“Fucking help me then, christ!” 

“I think you’re putting too much pressure onto this. What did you get Daniel?” Shannon asked. Johnny stood there, mouth ajar with nothing to say. The blonde groaned, storming off in disgust. Johnny followed, having no other idea on what to do. 

He tried to think of things that Daniel had around his home. Those fucking little trees and pictures of his family. He talked about his love of cars and soccer. He liked karate, but he already bought him the headband. He wore suits and flannels. 

He tried to come up with something, anything, that could work so he wouldn’t look like a jackass come Christmas morning that he had nothing to give his faux boyfriend. 

“You could propose to him,” Shannon suggested. They were sitting in the food court, with Shannon deciding to get Hogendoz even though it was closer to dinner time. 

“We haven’t been together that long, Shan.” 

“So?” She mused, licking lazily at her spoon. “Not like you’re getting any younger and besides, if you can find a guy willing to put up with you, why wouldn’t you want to latch onto that for as long as possible?” 

“I hate you. I hope you know that.” Johnny replied slowly. “I’m going to take another loop. Enjoy your mint chip.” 

Pushing up from the table, Johnny went around the mall one more time, hoping to find something so he didn’t leave empty-handed for a second time. He found himself feeling a little hopeless until he came upon the toy store with a familiar car in the window. 

It was similar to the yellow convertible Daniel was driving and on further inspection, he found that the car came from a collector's kid where you had to put it together yourself. Johnny wasn’t sure if Daniel enjoyed building tiny replicas, but if he did, it wouldn’t surprise him. 

It wasn’t what he thought he’d go home with, mostly due to the fact it was an actual toy meant for children, but he was confident in knowing that even if it wasn’t exactly what Daniel wanted, he would at least get a kick out of opening it. 

With one gift down, he retreated to Daniel’s home, finding himself alone there as Daniel must have taken his mother out for the afternoon. He thought about going to the bar, just to sit around so he wasn’t loitering Daniel’s place. Even if this was meant to be his home, for the time being, he still felt like a stranger inside of it. 

He was about to head out when the phone rang. He thought about letting it go to voice message but thought it might have been Daniel calling to see if Johnny was there, so he answered. 

He should have just let it go to voicemail. 

“Johnny. Oh good, I’m glad I caught you.” 

Johnny swallowed his groan, sighing as he leaned against the wall. “Hi, mom,” 

“How are you?” 

“Fine, mom. Nothing has changed since the last time you called.” 

“Well, that’s nice to hear. Is Daniel there?” 

“No, he’s out.” 

“Oh good! We can talk then. Listen, I want to get him and his mother a little something for the holiday, do you have any suggestions?” 

Johnny, banging his forehead against the wall, paused the movements. “You don’t have to buy Daniel a gift for Christmas, mom. Or his mom. You don’t have to buy me one either.” 

“I can’t come empty-handed, Johnny.” 

“You’re bringing dessert, aren’t you? That’s enough.” 

“Johnny, it’s Christmas!” 

“And they’re strangers, mom!”

His mother laughed softly then, the same way she would when he was a little boy and he’d talk about aliens or cowboys or whatever else was ridiculous. “They’re not strangers, Johnny. He’s your boyfriend, he’s practically family.”

“Please don’t refer to them as family, mom.” 

“This is the first time since I left Sid that I’m spending the holidays with someone, Johnny. Excuse me for being a little overzealous.” She mentioned gently. 

Johnny wanted to accuse her of guilting him, but the cruelty wasn’t in her tone. Despite himself, Johnny could see the woman was just trying to do something kind, and to be honest, he hated it. He hated how sweet and kind she was being, especially since this action didn’t exist five years ago. He knew it took time for people to adjust, but this was just too much. 

“Look, Daniel likes wine, okay? Buy him some fancy bottles and as for Lucille . . . I don’t know. I haven’t even gotten her a gift yet.”

“Do you have any ideas on what you’ll be getting her?” 

“No, I just met her.” 

“What does she smell like?” 

Johnny pulled the phone away, staring at it briefly. “What?” 

“What perfume does she use?” 

“I don’t know. I only recently met her.” 

“What colors does she wear?” 

“Why the hell are you asking me this?” 

“I used to work at a beauty counter before marrying Sid, remember? Now, give me some details.” 

Johnny thought of whatever he could, mentioning how she seemed to wear warm colors, and the one time he did notice any particular scent on her, it was gentle. Welcoming. 

“Shalimar. It’s an older fragrance. Practically vintage by now. You can’t go wrong with it.” 

“Thanks for the tip. Any other questions?” 

“That’s it for now. I’ll probably call tomorrow to ask about which desserts they’d prefer.” She answered, pausing for a moment. “It’s nice hearing your voice, Johnny.” 

Johnny thought about hanging up right then and there, just to spite her, but he wasn’t that much of a bastard. “Talk to you tomorrow, mom.” He replied, waiting for her to say goodbye before hanging the phone back up.

Looking at the clock across the way, he grabbed his keys from the table to head back to the mall. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got my own mother Shalimar for Christmas! I have no idea what it smells like, but as Laura said, it's a classic and the bottle is very pretty. I hope you all get what you wished for. Until next time.


	9. Four Calling Birds

When the following day came, Johnny slept in like always. Daniel was up and out of the house for work and Lucille was off to meet up with the people from the company. Daniel explained later that night that she had a bridge group out on the west coast and they always met up whenever she visited. They would grab dinner and play guards and from what Daniel mentioned, she usually wiped the floor with them.

Johnny sat in the living room, using the time to himself to wrap the Christmas gifts he had bought. He got the model car for Daniel and that bottle of perfume for Lucille. He wrapped them as nicely as possible, not bothering with the fancy bow or anything extra because all they were gonna do was destroy it anyway. Rip it all to shreds. 

He placed them under the tree, telling himself not to touch the two gifts with his own name on them. He wasn’t a little boy anymore who had to shake the box to find out what was inside of it because he couldn’t just wait and see what they had. 

He kept himself busy by clearing the dishwasher and doing his laundry in the washer. He had forgotten what it was like to have an in-house washer and dryer and not have to collect his coins and go down to the laundromat. The privacy was nice, sitting out on the couch with ease, watching tv as the machine tumbled on. 

When Daniel came home Johnny was still in his tee-shirt and boxers. He was almost embarrassed until he saw Daniel’s gaze lasting a little longer than he expected. 

“Are we gonna go out with you looking like that?”

Johnny looked himself over, placing his hands on his hips with confidence. “These are Calvin Klein. Designer.” Johnny replied. 

Daniel snorted, placing his hands up in defense. “Oh excuse me. I’m so sorry. I’ll take my generic boxers and leave.” 

Johnny flipped him off just as the dryer buzzed. “When did you want to head to your lot?”

“Whenever. Ma isn’t coming back until tonight so we have all day.”

“I’m off until tonight, so I’m game for whenever,” Johnny told him, going into the laundry room to grab his clothes. He took a quick shower, changing into his now clean clothes, and met up with Daniel in the living room. 

They wound up grabbing dinner on the way, shopping at a pizza place that Daniel was raving about. Johnny hadn’t met a pizza he didn’t enjoy so he let Daniel show it off, hoping to judge his pizza choices. Daniel came off as the type of guy who would get something random on his slice, like lettuce or pineapple. As it turned out, he was a regular plain slice guy or maybe pepperoni if he was in the mood for some spice. 

The place was close enough to the lot, so he seemed to come often enough. Everybody knew him there, greeting him warmly, none of them have any real reaction to him bringing Johnny along. He wondered if Daniel took all his dates there. 

Not that they were on a date. Because they weren’t. 

Just two guys, hanging out, grabbing dinner before going to check out a personal karate dojo. Daniel paid, but that's because he ordered for them both. Johnny didn’t even get a word in. Daniel took the lead, ordering them both two slices (one plain, one pepperoni) and a large coke to wash it down with. 

“Do you take all your fake boyfriends to nice places like this?” He teased as they settled at the table in the corner. 

Daniel laughed, accepting his teasing as he took a bite of his slice. “No. I don’t even take the real ones here. This place is too close for comfort for that.” He admitted, leaving Johnny to wonder what that even meant. 

He didn’t vocalize his confusion, deciding to just focus on his meal because it was free and smelt delicious. He forgot what it was like to have actual pizza and not the stuff at the gas station across from his job site. 

Johnny was halfway through his meal when he realized he really did have to get his shit together. He hoped that once he had the downpayment on the dojo and he opened his own business things would turn up for him, profits included. 

“Have you thought of a name for it yet?” Daniel asked Johnny curiously as if he was reading his mind. “Your dojo.” 

“Oh. No, not yet.” He confessed, sipping on his soda. “Originally, I had planned to partner with my old sensei, but he didn’t take very kindly to the news when I came out to him so that dream has been thoroughly squashed.” 

“What do you being gay have anything to do with karate?” 

“I didn’t bother to ask, to be honest,” Johnny admitted, shrinking slightly in his seat. “Kreese, that’s his name, he was the first person I ever came out to.” 

“What did he say exactly?” 

Johnny’s eyes drifted past Daniel’s as he thought back to the day he decided to put it all out on the line. They had already been in talks of partnering together and it had been Kreese that got Johnny in with the All Valley karate league so he could get his license to teach. 

Johnny had been battling with himself for so fucking long and he figured if there was anybody he could turn to it was the man that practically raised him as his own son. Oh, how wrong he had been. 

_ “Some people are made to excel in this world, Mr. Lawrence. I thought you were one of them. I guess I was wrong.”  _

It was all he said. That and the last glance filled with pure disappointment were all Johnny had been given before Kreese asked him to leave the premises and not bother returning. 

“I think that and my step dad’s suggestion to have me fixed were the last straw.” Johnny went on to explain. 

“No kidding.” Daniel scoffed. 

“I had people who did accept me, like my friend Bobby and Shannon of course, but it still sucked. The two people I trusted most in the world turned their backs on me and for what? Because I like a dick? Why should it matter?” 

“It shouldn’t.” Daniel insisted, reaching across the table. His fingers grazed against Johnny’s gently. “And it doesn’t. Things take time, but the world is changing. One day, things will be better for us.” 

Johnny turned his hand up slowly, his own fingers circling Daniel’s palm before pulling away. “Have you always been this confident?” 

“Not always. I have my mom and Mr. Miyagi to thank for that.”

“Should have done competitions. Your optimism would have wiped the floor with the Cobra Kai’s.” He mentioned, catching Daniel’s eye before going back to his meal. 

They fell back into their regular conversation, about their upcoming plans for Christmas and everything after. About the cars, Daniel has been selling for the holidays and how Johnny planned on decorating the dojo once it was his own. 

He had no idea what he would name it, but he was confident that he’d come up with something perfect once it was all settled. 

“I’m meeting with the landlord on New Years', so as long as he accepts the money for the down payment, I’m golden.” 

“I’ll make sure you give you the five hundred by then. With interest.” 

“You’re not giving me any more than we already agreed on,” Johnny told him. “I already feel bad for taking the money as it is. Probably wouldn’t if I wasn’t so desperate for it.” 

“Johnny, you’re doing me a huge favor-”

“And you’re letting me stay with you,” Johnny cut in. “And you’re hosting my mother, who I don’t even want around. You’re being a better son to her than her own son. If anything, I should be paying you.” 

“You dyed your hair for me,” Daniel noted, his eyes flickering up to the dark locks settled on the top of Johnny’s normally golden head. “Your end of the deal is far more physical than mine is. I mean, my ma literally had to tell you it’s okay to kiss me.” 

“And it is. Touching you isn’t a deal-breaker, Danny. Trust me on that.” 

It was a bold statement, but one that Johnny swore by. There is an obvious attraction blooming between the two men and as much as he’d like to just say it’s all for the act, that would be nothing more than a lie. And while Johnny Lawrence could be many things, a liar wasn’t one of them. 

“We both benefit from this. Stop overthinking it all.” Johnny insisted, standing so he could get rid of their garbage. 

Daniel pouted as he left the table, but didn’t argue when he came back. They got back into his car and he led them to the lot, which was gated off and locked up so high for anybody to actually climb over. 

He unlocked it, pushing the gate open so they could drive through the row of cars parked along the side. Each one was older than the next, in pristine condition down to the shiny wax on them. Johnny got out of the car the moment they were parked, needing to get a better look at them. 

“Nice, huh?” 

“Where the hell do you find these?” 

“Mr. Miyagi does. He has connections all over the world. He finds them, we clean and restore them, and I sell them.” 

“Some teamwork,” Johnny mentioned, running his fingers along with Chevrolet Corvette.

His stepdad or he figured former stepdad at this point, had been huge into fancy cars that he would have his mom model in front of whenever his friends were around. Johnny learned everything he could about them, hoping it would make Sid give a shit but alas, but was all for nothing. Still, it worked out for him, as he now had a handful of knowledge he had no idea what to do with but it came in handy now and then. 

Following Daniel further into the lot, he was led past a water fountain and array of little trees into a small Japanese style room. The floor was made out of the same mat material as Cobra Kai’s was and he immediately took his shoes off in respect, kicking them outside the door. 

The whole place looked handcrafted, like Daniel’s personal little dollhouse to play karate kid in. Johnny was in awe and even a little bit jealous. Even with the down payment, there was no way he’d be able to make his own dojo look this legit. The fancy paintings on the wall and sweet-smelling incense made the whole place feel warm and welcoming. 

“So, this is Miyagi-Do,” Daniel stated proudly. “Nothing special, but everything I learned, I learned here.” 

“It’s gorgeous,”

Daniel smiled brightly, circling the mat before throwing his arm out to gesture. “Do you want to….”

“To what?” 

“You know…. Do you wanna spar or something?” 

“For real?” Johnny asked. “I’m in jeans.” 

Daniel snorted, gesturing to his own outfit for the night. “And? You can’t fight in denim?” 

“I can fight anything.” Johnny insisted, moving to settle in the middle of the mat. “Give me your best shot.” 

Daniel, practically almost giddy to follow him, moved to get into a proper karate stance. He bowed, as tradition and Johnny mimicked the move, watching how his feet were planted and how he raised his hands. He waited, stepping forward quickly to make the first strike, just as he had been trained to do. 

Daniel blocked it easily, jutting his own hand out to knock at Johnny’s elbow, catching him almost off guard, though he bounced back nicely, stepping out and kicking in so the heel of his foot connected with his inner thigh. 

Daniel stumbled but didn’t fall back. 

“Not bad, Larusso,” Johnny commented, circling him slowly. 

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Daniel replied, falling right back into it. 

It was almost like a dance. Hit, block, kick, block. Catching of arms and legs, the pushing and pulling. They were equally matched, which was both fascinating and worrisome to Johnny as he had trained for so long before going off on his own while Daniel had only his unprofessional sensei. He wondered just how good this Miyagi was and if he was ever looking for new students, though he didn’t let those wonders dwell on him long. 

Johnny was about to offer a truce, an end to the back and forth when Daniel did a spin kick directly to his head, knocking Johnny back onto the mat. Everything went black for the moment and when he began seeing colors again, Daniel was on the floor beside him, his beautiful face twisted with worry. 

“Hey! Are you alright? Fuck, I am so sorry.” Daniel muttered, tugging on Johnny’s hand to pull him up, but he remained laying down. 

“Nobody’s ever landed a head kick before,” He murmured, probably sounding like a crazy person. “That’s an illegal move, Larusso.”

“I guess there’s a first time for everything,” Daniel replied, pulling on Johnny again and the other man relented, allowing him to pull him into a sitting position. 

Daniel was rambling again, apologizing and holding up his hand to ask Johnny how many fingers he was holding up. Johnny just stared, trying to calculate how Daniel had been able to sneak such a kick in, but he found it was his own fault. He allowed himself to be distracted by his opponent. 

His gorgeous opponent whose hair was in his face and deep eyes were filled with sorrow. The sorrow that came from nearly knocking Johnny unconscious. 

Daniel was still going on when Johnny pulled him down, silencing him with a kiss that he had been waiting to do since the last time they did it. He found that kissing Daniel in front of Lucille was perfectly acceptable but he hadn’t found the nerve to do it when they were alone. Not until now at least and he blamed that on being utterly and completely awestruck by this man who surely gave him a lasting bruise. 

Daniel hummed against his mouth, obviously taken off guard by the kiss, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he deepened the action, adjusting their mouths so they slid together properly, his hand coming to hold Johnny’s face as the other clutched his shirt at his shoulder. 

It felt just as it had when they were in his apartment, just before the sprinklers went off. 

No interruption came this time, however, and Johnny felt Daniel shift onto his knees, crawling closely until he was straddling Johnny. He held himself upright, his mouth following Daniel’s every time he tried to pull away. 

“I really hope this isn’t a symptom of a concussion.” Daniel panted as he broke the kiss. Or well, kisses. 

“No, I’ve wanted to do this long before you landed the kick to my head,” Johnny admitted, just as breathless. 

“Yeah?” Daniel asked, his mouth perking in that same wide, boyish smile that made Johnny’s stomach do all sorts of twists. 

“You have no idea what I want to do with you,” He confessed, deciding to just go all in, no turning back. 

“With me or to me?” Daniel questioned, not giving him a chance to actually answer. 

Daniel swooped back down, his fingers tangling in Johnny’s hair as they fell back into a different type of back and forth that would have without a doubt progressed into something more had the side door not slid open and Daniel didn’t frantically break away from him as if he had been burnt.

“Mr. Miyagi!” He screeched, scrambling to his feet. 

“Interrupting am I?” The old man asked, glancing between the two. 

“What? No! No, this is Johnny. He and I were sparring.” 

Johnny waved weakly, watching as the old man perked a brow in interest. “Very different type of sparring, Daniel-San, than I am used to.” 

“We . . . it wasn’t . . . .” 

“I’m Daniel’s boyfriend,” He announced, hoping that would soften whatever blow was going to come by Daniel nearly doing the nasty in the middle of their sacred dojo. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

The man looked Johnny up and down, sizing him up physically and his overall worth. He wondered what the old man made of him. He knew he and Daniel were close, that this tiny man was the closest thing Daniel had to a father so to see him like this, in a rather intimate position must be a bit of a shock. 

“Mr. Miyagi, I thought you were still in Japan,” Daniel asked, moving to the older man’s side. 

“It is Christmas. One typically spends such holidays with family. You, Daniel-San, are family.” He answered easily. 

Johnny, not wanting to be a disrespectful bastard (or more of one than he already was) got up off his ass and stood behind Daniel. 

“Boyfriend?” Mr. Miyagi said, looking from Johnny to Daniel.

Daniel blushed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Johnny wondered if he would have told the old man the truth and instead he just dug them deeper into this seemingly never-ending lie, but he just rolled with it, no longer having a choice. 

“A lot has happened since you’ve been gone.” 

“One month is far too long,” Mr. Miyagi agreed. 

“I should go. Let you two catch up.” Johnny mentioned, already beginning to back out of the place. 

Mr. Miyagi raised a hand, stopping him. “No, no. I stopped in only for moment. Please, carry on. Though, Daniel-San, make sure to mop floors when finished.” 

Daniel was left speechless this time around, while Johnny could only close his eyes and wish to throw himself into a deeper hole. He waved goodbye to the old man as he made his way out and when the door was closed, he glanced back to Daniel, who looked just as mortified. 

“He seems nice,” He suggested, earning a groan in response. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to everybody who is commenting! I'm so pleased this story is making everyone so happy. I truly wasn't sure if anybody was even going to like it, let alone actually love it! 
> 
> Keep those comments going, they make my cold heart warm as I continue to survive working this holiday season!


	10. Three French Hens

The days of the year were beginning to wind down quicker than Johnny expected them to. Sure, he knew he only had to handle this facade for about a week and a half but now it went from lying to one person to pretty much lying to everyone that came in earshot to them. 

Lucille, Shannon, his own mother, and now Mr. Miyagi. It seemed as though there isn’t a single person around that doesn’t think they’re blissfully in love. 

That wasn’t really the issue though. Pretending to be Daniel’s boyfriend wasn’t some hardship that Johnny had to swallow his pride to do. They worked pretty easily together, to be completely honest. They were just the right amount of different to clash properly. No, no. It was the actual pretending that made it so hard on him. 

The sleeping beside the man knew that by the time December was over, they would be back to strangers. He didn’t know how long his apartment would take to fix up especially since the asshole of a landlord seems to be taking his sweet time with it all. Johnny refused to impose on Daniel longer than he needed to and Bobby suggested staying in his guest house once the new year came along. Johnny hadn’t given him an answer, but he thought about accepting just so he didn’t become a thorn in Daniel’s side. 

Whether he liked to admit it or not, Johnny was the type of guy who wore his heart on his sleeve. The only way to stop himself from losing himself was to have space between them. He would stay by Daniel’s side until his mother returned to the east coast, but after that, he knew he had to break away before he got even more involved than he already was. 

At least that's what Johnny told himself he was going to do. It was a bit harder to convince himself that he was already head over heels for the guy. Wasn’t his fault. Daniel was gorgeous and kind, and fun to be around. Johnny had never been in a relationship like this before. Where the other person actually cared about him and he wasn’t pretending to be happy just for the sake of it. 

When he smiled for Daniel, it was genuine and not forced. He wasn’t laughing at dumb jokes or trying to fluff himself up to make everyone happy. He felt real when he was around Daniel, which only added to how dangerous the whole situation was. 

Johnny was setting himself up to get hurt though he couldn’t find himself able to care. After all, he was getting what he wanted too. Money for the dojo. That’s what he kept reminded himself. He’d get his dojo. He’d lose Daniel, but he would have his dojo. 

A dojo he still hadn’t named but that’s fine, that’s cool. He can work around that for right now. 

Daniel had invited Johnny back to the car lot and into his own dojo so he could be properly introduced to Mr. Miyagi. It seemed the old man was as close to a father as Daniel had since his own died when he was just a kid. He was important to Daniel and seeing as Johnny had to go and tell the old man that they were dating, it only made sense that Daniel would want the two to get along, even if the arrangement would only be lasting for a short time. 

Miyagi was . . . different. Quiet, yet when he spoke, he spoke volumes. Sometimes during their introduction, he seemed to be speaking in riddles, ones that only Daniel seemed to understand. Daniel was proud to show Johnny off as another karate lover and while Johnny had no issue with taking the lead and showing everything he could do, Miyagi didn’t seem all that impressed. 

Johnny would have been bothered by it had it not been for Daniel who insisted that it wasn’t him, that it was just how Mr. Miyagi was with everyone. 

“He’s old school. He didn’t train in a dojo, he learned it from his community.” He had explained during their short break. 

“Johnny good at fighting, bad at thinking.” The old man commented, leaving Johnny with no idea what the fuck that meant. 

“With all due respect, what does that even mean?” Johnny asked bluntly. 

“It means you focus too much on fist, not enough on the mind.” The old man went on to say. “Karate is for defense, not for attack.” 

“You have to know how to attack your attacker, don’t you?” 

“One should always be a step ahead.” 

“That’s how I was able to get you on your back last night,” Daniel mentioned, his eyes widening when he realized exactly what he had said. 

“That’s not really fair when I happen to like being there,” Johnny replied smoothly. 

He expected the old man to be scandalized, but he merely smiled, patting Daniel on the back as he walked by. Johnny was used to the older generation being horrified by sexual content, especially homosexual sexual content, but it seemed Miyagi wasn’t phased in the least. 

He let the mild flirting go on before gesturing both men to get back on the mat so they could go head to head once more. When they got back to Daniel’s home, Johnny laid out on the couch while Daniel sat on the floor beside him, going over the meal plans for the holiday. 

Christmas Eve would be far more relaxed, with a simple dinner and outing around the town hall. Lucille was still trying to get the boys to agree to go caroling or worse, to church. 

“I know God loves me, but his followers want me to hang up the raptors, so I think I’ll save my thanks for him for the privacy of my own home,” Johnny explained.

Daniel hummed in agreement, focusing on the list. Originally it had been planned to just be them and his mom, but now Johnny’s mom was joining and since Mr. Miyagi was back, they certainly couldn’t blacklist him. 

Five people in one house, most of which are strangers, while two are pretending to be lovers. This definitely wasn’t a part of the original plan and it was obvious that Daniel was stressing over it all. Sitting up, Johnny placed his hands on Daniel’s shoulders, rubbing them slowly. 

“You’re thinking too loudly,” Johnny whispered gently. 

“I just want this to go smoothly,” Daniel admitted. “I got my ma to agree to be on her best behavior around your ma. Mr. Miyagi will be cool, obviously.” He turned his head, offering a smile. “You two got along well today.” 

“You mean after the old man kicked my ass?” He teased. “I like him. Nothing like my old sensei. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone with so much respect for karate that isn’t a total nutjob.” 

“Miyagi is a good man. One of the best, if not the best I’ve ever met.” 

“Wonder why he never thought of opening his own dojo,” 

“He did, once upon a time. Before we got into the car business, we were selling bonsai trees out of this little shack of a store. And before that, he hoped to open a dojo, but I never got around to getting my certification for it. I was focusing on school at the time. It just never happened.” 

“Shame. You’d be a great sensei.” Johnny murmured, sitting back slightly, though his hands continued to work on Daniel’s shoulders. 

“I’ll have to come to visit you when your place is officially open.” 

“What, not gonna sign up?” He joked.

“And watch you cream your gi after I call you ‘Sensei Lawrence’? I’ll pass.” 

Johnny tightened his fingers then, causing Daniel to groan. He leaned down, keeping his mouth against Daniel’s ear to whisper to him. “You play dirty, Larusso.”

They hadn’t done anything since Mr. Miyagi interrupted them at the dojo, deciding to just go right home, and then Johnny went right to work afterward. Johnny had begun to wonder if he was getting mixed signals from Daniel, if he was just caught up in the moment or if he actually was attracted to Johnny in a deeper sense. 

Daniel turned his head then, those brown eyes mixed with something Johnny recognized all too well. He didn’t even say a word, choosing to just close the gap between them for a kiss. It only lasted a moment, because God really did want to punish them for something as Lucille appeared in the doorway, forcing the two apart. 

“Please, don’t stop for my sake. I’m just refilling my mug.” She called from the kitchen. 

“It’s like a fucking joke at this point,” Johnny mumbled quietly. 

“Sorry, babe,” Daniel muttered, rubbing his knee gently as he pushed himself to stand, going to show his mother all the plans he had made for Christmas dinner. 

Johnny flopped back onto the couch, his eyes falling onto the tv across from him. Daniel joined him not long after, sitting comfortably by his side. They fell into a small conversation about the movie that was on and as Daniel shifted in closer, Johnny moved to wrap his arm around him just as Lucille came to join them. 

“Did you get all your shopping done, boys?” 

“Aside from getting the old man something, I’m done.” 

“Johnny, you don’t have to get Mr. Miyagi anything.” 

“It’s Christmas. And if he is the first man in your life, then I’m a close second so I should probably step up my game.” 

“Aren’t you sweet,” Lucille mused, letting the conversation die down as they all watched another Christmas classic. 

They stayed like that until Lucille decided to turn in for the night. They waited a few minutes, with Johnny not really knowing what to do next because he was off for the evening so it wasn’t like he had to run off to the bar or try to catch a nap. 

Daniel turned towards him, shifting from where he sat though he didn’t completely pull away. “We should talk,” He mentioned, catching Johnny off guard. “I just wanted to apologize, you know. For Mr. Miyagi finding out.” 

“Finding out?” Johnny mimicked. “I’m the one who told him.”

“I know you did, but I honestly didn’t expect him to come home so soon. It’s just another person you have to lie to for me.” 

Johnny blinked, confused for the moment. “And?” 

“You shouldn’t have to put this much effort in,” Daniel proclaimed. 

And Johnny, well he just laughed. “Effort? Danny, I literally dyed my hair for you. I think I’ve already gone over the legal requirements to this arrangement.” 

“Let me double what I owe you,” Daniel insisted.

“What? No!” Johnny pushed away then shaking his head rapidly. “No. Five hundred was the deal and that's all I will accept.” 

“That was just with my ma, now it’s your ma and Mr. Miyagi.” 

“And Shannon, who by the way, told me you’re a total babe,” Johnny stated. “Daniel, it’s okay. I mean, she’s right. You are a babe. And seeing as we’ve been trying to jump each other’s bones, I’m perfectly okay with telling more people that we’re together.” 

“I just don’t want you to have any regrets when this is all over,” Daniel told him somberly. 

And just like that, Johnny was reminded once again that this would in fact be over at some point. His mom would go back to her penthouse, Miyagi would go back to his own little boy, and Lucille could go back to Jersey. And Johnny would move into Bobby’s guest house, leaving Daniel’s home and Daniel behind him like it was just some homoerotic memory. 

“Danny, there is nothing I could do with you that I’d regret.” Johnny insisted.

Daniel sighed, shaking his head. “I doubt that.” 

Johnny lifted his head, pointing to his dark hair. “Can’t go any further than this.” 

“I was literally on top of you last night.” 

“Am I supposed to regret that? Because I don’t. Maybe stopping -- owe!” Johnny rubbed his shoulder where Daniel had punched him. “Asshole.” 

“Not in front of Miyagi!” Daniel sighed, his cheeks turning scarlet as he continued. “You never elated, you know. About all the things you wanted to do with me.” 

“I’m more of a shower than a teller type of guy, Larusso,” Johnny told him, his mind screaming at his boldness.

This wasn’t some one night stand that Johnny could mess around with because he knew he’d never see the guy again. He still had a few more days with Daniel and should know better than to be so careless, even if they were finally having somewhat of a heart to heart. 

Daniel was watching him now, that boyish smile that made Johnny’s stomach do a million flips spread wider across his face. 

“I really didn’t think this through,” Daniel confessed suddenly. 

“Think what through?”

“Asking an attractive guy to pretend to date me.” He went on to say. “You really should know I’m not good at being in a relationship. My girlfriends all left me for a reason.” 

“And your boyfriends?”

“I've never had one,” he admitted. “Pathetic, I know. I was kind of seeing someone in college but he called me clingy and that kind of fucked with my head.”

Johnny could imagine a teenaged Daniel, with that gorgeous smile and bright eyes wanting to walk around campus with the guy he liked. God, what Johnny would have done to have someone like that rather than the assholes who would dick and dash leaving him feeling used and unwanted. 

“I’ve slept with guys, I’m not a virgin but I usually kept myself at bay when it came to them. I thought with a woman I’d be able to, you know, be all manly and act like such a….”

“A what?” Johnny questioned. “You’re the same guy, Daniel. Whether you’re with a man or a woman you’re the same person. The only difference is the part you’re putting your dick in.” 

“God, you have such a way with words,” Daniel mentioned with a sigh. 

“I’ve never had a boyfriend either,” Johnny told him. “I never thought I would, but I think we have to face the facts here, Larusso.”

“And what are the facts?”

Johnny could think of a million things to say. They were both hot and had chemistry. They got along well and had so much in common it was almost bothersome. Johnny had never realized how much he wanted this until it was dangling out in front of him almost out of his grasp. 

“All I want is to kiss you,” Johnny admitted. “But also hold your hand. I want to get coffee with you and do karate with you. There is so much I want, Danny.” 

“I really, really didn’t think this through,” Daniel muttered, digging the heel of his hands into his eyes, rubbing tiredly. 

“I don’t want to pressure you,” Johnny swore, lifting his hands in surrender. “Honestly. I’m here because we both need something from one another.”

“I didn’t ask you to date me hoping you’d find me desirable,” Daniel swore. 

“I know that. And I’m not saying you have to do anything but I’m here, Daniel. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You will once this is over,” Daniel pointed out. 

“Reseda isn’t that far away, Danny.” Johnny reminded him. He walked out of the living room then, going to head into the bedroom they’d both gotten used to sharing. 

Johnny wasn’t going to force anything nor was he going to make it seem like Daniel had to do this because it worked into the arrangement. No no, he tossed the ball into Daniel’s court and figured if the man wanted this just as much as Johnny did then he’d make that choice.

And if he didn’t, then Johnny would move on like he always did. He had gotten used to being alone up to this point in his life. He could do it for a little while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, oh gosh. This is winding down so quickly! What am I going to do once it's over? What will you do? Hopefully something good!


	11. Two Turtle Doves

Christmas Eve has approached far quicker than either Daniel or Johnny anticipated. Normally, this day of the year meant nothing to Johnny. He would hang out at his apartment, sleeping let into the day because he worked this night every year.

The bar was closed on Christmas but Christmas Eve was a popular night for them as all the bastards who would be spending the night alone would drag their sorry asses inside in hopes of feeling alone. 

It wasn’t ideal, but the holiday pay was good and years prior, when Johnny had no one to spend the holiday with, he didn’t really care. He would work well into the night and then sleep in the following morning. He wasn’t a kid anymore, so it wasn’t like he had to wake up at the ass crack of dawn to open presents. Christmas morning was pointless to him now and he wouldn’t be celebrating until later that night if he had been invited over anywhere. 

Not this year though. 

Lucille wasn’t happy about Johnny having to work and pestered him all afternoon to call out so they could spend the night together. Daniel was beet red with embarrassment, wanting to sink into the floor with how much his mother pushed and pushed. 

Johnny didn’t care so much. It was nice having someone wanting him around for a change. He didn’t call out, as the pay was just too good, but he agreed to stick around right up until he had to leave. 

Christmas Eve was apparently more traditional than Christmas for the Larusso family. Lucille spent the morning baking every single cookie imaginable, forcing Johnny to taste them all and not giving a damn about his figure. Fish was on the menu because it was some Italian tradition every year. 

Johnny wasn’t much of a fish eater though Daniel promised there would be more for him to try. 

Lucille pestered Johnny about his lineage but all he could offer was his mother being Czech and a little bit of Swedish. He didn’t know his father so there was a space as to what he could have been. 

This of course broke Lucille’s heart even more despite Johnny not really being affected by it much. He was used to it. For so long it had just been him and his mom, and then when she married Sid, they grew apart, and well, here he was now. Living a lie for the sake of a check, slowly falling for the guy who hired him. 

You proud now, Laura? 

After all the baking and cooking, they went into town to see all the lights before going to church. Neither Daniel nor Johnny was very excited for the latter, especially since they were all too aware of what the church thought of their relationship. 

“Only God can judge you two,” Lucille swore as they took their seats. 

“Yeah, well his messengers have made his statement pretty clear,” Johnny muttered, looking through the fifteen-page pamphlet the kid at the door handed him.

“God made you gay, Johnny.” Lucille reminded him. 

“River Phoenix made me gay,” Johnny replied. 

“Well God made River Phoenix,” Lucille answered without missing a beat. 

Daniel leaned in, smiling gently. “Personally for me, it was Val Kilmer,” He admitted.

“James Spader too,” Johnny answered, 

“Ooh, he’s cute,” Daniel confessed, looking Johnny up and down slowly. “You know, you kind of look like him.” 

Johnny blushed, laughing as Lucille smacked them both with the pamphlet. “No flirting in God's house.” 

They both gave a hushed apology just as the organ began to play. Johnny knew maybe three of the songs they were all singing and tried his best not to fall asleep during the rest of it. Daniel seemed equal as bored and even to the point where the two began to thumb wrestle just to keep themselves busy. 

Lucille noticed, but simply rolled her eyes, not taking it into effect as they were more or less paying attention and being respectful. 

The last time Johnny had willingly gone to church was on Easter and that was to please Bobby as it was his first holiday as a pastor. Any time before that had been when he was a kid and it was just himself and his mom. She didn’t raise him to be super religious but she wanted him to be thankful for everything they had, even if it wasn’t much. 

They stopped going once his mom married Sid, mostly because the old man was Jewish though he didn’t take that religion very seriously. Johnny would have liked to have learned a little bit about Hanukkah outside of just eight nights of presents, but the old man didn’t wanna teach him a thing.

After that, they stayed away from religious events with it only coming up again when Johnny came out. 

When it was over, they exited the church, each grabbing a candy cane from the greet on their way out. Lucille was going on and on about how gorgeous the church was set up and how lovely the songs were. Daniel and Johnny let her rave, with the former taking Johnny’s hand as they walked down the lane. 

It was nice, almost normal and Johnny found himself wondering if this was his way of making a mood or if he was doing it to make a show for his mother. Johnny chose not to question it too hard and instead followed the Larusso’s back to the house for their feast. 

Lucille was a fantastic cook, and while fish wasn’t his favorite, he took a few bites for her sake, mostly sticking with the potatoes until Daniel got in his face with a pair of chopsticks and sushi that he had made on his own.

Mr. Miyagi had apparently been teaching him and he thought tonight would be a great way to try it out. Johnny was less than thrilled to have uncooked tuna but the pout on Daniel’s lips and the puppy dog eyes were enough for Johnny to open his mouth and let the other man feed him.

It was good, and he’d probably try it again though only if Daniel was the one feeding it to him. That was a luxury all its own. 

He was relaxing on the couch, counting down the minutes until he had to go to work. Lucille was sitting beside him as they both watched “It's A Wonderful Life” on the tv. 

It was strange how casual the whole thing was. Johnny was beginning to realize just how much he would miss this. Having other people around, people who wanted him around. He tried not to think about it but must have missed that memo as he found Daniel watching him, gently asking him if he was all right.

Johnny shook it off, lying that he had to get ready for work. He pushed off the couch and changed into his work-friendly clothes, going back into the living room to bud the two a good night. He leaned down, taking a kiss from Daniel before heading out for the night. 

As expected the bar was filled with a large number of people, all dressed up nicely only to come to a dive and celebrate the holiday alone. A phone call came for him not long after he got there and expecting it to be Daniel, he hurried off to the payphone in the hallway. 

Instead, it was Zakarian, who was shouting over the noise in the background to tell Johnny that he needed to down payment by tomorrow. 

“You told me New Year's Eve.” Johnny reminded him. “Tomorrow is Christmas.” 

“And I’m gifting you the chance to open your gogo even sooner!” Zakarian shouted. 

“It’s called a  _ dojo _ ,” Johnny replied dryly. 

“I don’t care what you call it! Tomorrow night, seven o’clock. Bring the money or the deal is off.” 

He hung up after that, leaving Johnny feeling lower than he already did. Pushing off the wall, he walked back out onto the floor and slumped down in one of the empty stools, catching Shannon’s attention immediately. She rushed over, questioning his sudden change in attitude. 

And Johnny, the dumbass who decided to wear his heart on his sleeve, poured his heart out to her without her even having to pour him a drink. He didn’t plan on telling her the truth, especially since he was sure she’d think he was ridiculous for even agreeing to something like that but all she could do was frown.

“Why would you want to pretend to date someone during the holidays?” She asked somberly. “And for money? Johnny, that is a one-way ticket to getting your heartbroken.”

“I didn’t expect to like him, Shan.” 

“How could you not like him? Johnny — he is absolutely gorgeous, has a home and a steady job, and he does karate.  _ I _ like him!”

“You hate karate.” 

“But I like men with steady jobs! Have you told him about this?”

“Sort of,” Johnny mumbled wishing he could drink on the job. “I told him I find him attractive and that if he wants more, then I want more.” 

“And does he?” 

Johnny shrugged loosely. “He just keeps bringing up how all his exes dumped him for a reason.”

“Do you think it’s because he was with women and he’s a raging bottom?” Shannon asked, earning a glare from the faux brunet. “Right, sorry. I forgot you like to take it too. I’m sure he would give just as good as he gets, Johnny.” 

“Please stop speaking.” Johnny requested quietly, pressing his forehead against the sticky bar top. “I need the money by tomorrow night.” 

“Can’t you ask him for it?” 

“Yeah, but I don’t want to,” Johnny admitted. He had been mulling over it for the past few days. He needed that money so badly but the more time he spent with Daniel and his mother, he found himself not wanting the money. He didn’t want this to be a business exchange any longer. 

He wanted to be welcomed into the family naturally and normally. He wanted Daniel to accept him and the attraction they shared for one another and not just put up with him for the sake of doing the job. 

“I don’t even want the money anymore. But now I feel like I don’t have a choice. It’s either Daniel or the Dojo.”

“I’m sure it will all work out. I mean, it’s Christmas! This is the time for miracles isn’t it?” 

“We’re not in a movie, Shannon. Things don’t just happen because we manifest them.” 

“Well, I am going to try regardless of your depressing outlook.” Shannon insisted, leaving Johnny’s side after being called away by another patron. 

Johnny pushed himself off the seat, finishing the rest of his shift in the back corner. He wished somebody would get in some sort of fight just so he would be able to actually do something other than stand-alone with his own thoughts, but in the end, it was an easy night. 

He rolled in a little after four in the morning, trying his best to be as quiet as possible. He kicked off his shoes and hung up his coat, shuffling through the kitchen to grab himself a drink. He smiled at the milk and cookies set on the table, put out by Daniel and Lucille for Santa to take. 

Johnny found out that Santa wasn’t real by bullies in school but when he received a game system one year when the one before that he had gotten a stuffed bear. It was such a large leap when he hadn’t been any better during the latter than he had the former that something just wasn’t right. He questioned Sid about it who of course told him the truth, that Santa didn’t exist and it was time to grow up. 

Johnny did grow up and rather than toss away the cookies or drink the milk, he let them untouched, not wanting to ruin somebody else's fun just because he was raised to be a bastard. 

Making his way back to Daniel’s room, he kept in carefully, trying not to make too much noise or shake the bed too much on going to lay down. 

He failed however as the moment he settled into bed with him, Daniel woke up. “Time?” 

“4:31,” Johnny answered him tiredly. “Go back to sleep.” 

Daniel rolled onto his side, squinting in the dark as he searched for Johnny’s eyes. “You okay?” He asked as if he could sense all the inner turmoil raging through Johnny. 

“Long night,” Johnny replied, lying back among the pillows. 

He felt Daniel’s hand on him then, his fingertips running along Johnny’s forearm. Johnny turned back to glance at him and found Daniel smiling at him through the dark; that tired, loopy smile of his caused Johnny’s stomach to do a million little flips. 

“Hey. It’s Christmas.” He mentioned softly. 

“Yeah, and the cookies haven’t been eaten so we better go to sleep before Santa comes,” Johnny answered, learning a low chuckle in response. 

He felt Daniel shift closer to him. Not a full cuddle, but close enough that he could feel Daniel’s breathing begin to level out as he slowly drifted off to sleep. 

And as Johnny himself began to unwind, he tried not to think about what it would be like when all this was over. When he would no longer be sharing a bed with Daniel and when he’d eventually find his way back to his shitty apartment. 

Where he would be along once again. 

It wasn’t a pleasant thought to fall asleep to but it was all he could come up with. 


	12. A Partridge In A Pear Tree

Johnny woke three hours later, not getting enough sleep but his body refused to let him rest. Back when he was a kid and he had all the energy in the world, he would run around the tiny apartment his mother and he shared until she woke up so they could open the small pile of gifts they had received. 

After moving in with Sid, the piles grew bigger and better with each year, but the gifts became more hollow. He would get every single thing he asked for and then some, regardless of whether or not he deserved them. He would never rush down anymore, instead waking at his own pace and then waiting for Sid to become a little less grouchy so they could sit by the fireplace and open. 

His mother would receive something expensive every single year like a new piece of jewelry or handbag, and when Johnny would give Sid whatever gift his mother had picked out for them to give, he would usually just scoff and say thanks just to be polite. 

He had spent the past five Christmas’ without a tree or presents and he had been doing just fine. Now he knew the moment he walked out the door, it would be different. It would be like no other Christmas he had ever experienced and Johnny thought about hiding under the covers and never coming out because he knew. He knew after this nothing would be the same. 

This Christmas would be just like all the Christmas’ he had always dreamt of, filled with acceptance and appreciation from the people around him, and next year he would be back on his bullshit, back to being alone. 

And that made Johnny’s heartache like never before. 

Eventually, he found his way out, after forcing himself to move because he couldn’t just sit around like an immature brat. When he shuffled into the kitchen, Lucille and Daniel were there, chatting over coffee. Both were surprised to see him and tried to force him back into the bedroom to get a few more hours of sleep. 

“No use. Looks like the power of Christmas was just too good to resist,” Johnny replied, putting on faux excitement in hopes of getting them off his back. 

With them all awake, Lucille opted to make them Christmas pancakes, which Johnny expected to be regular pancakes, but on Christmas. 

Oh, no. They were red and green, absolutely gigantic, covered in peppermint crumbles, chocolate chips, whipped cream, and syrup. It was the type of breakfast that children dream about and part of him wanted to shiver at the sight of it. 

He finished his plate, however, knowing damn well if he didn’t that he’d get an earful from Lucille. He fell back onto the couch, Daniel not far behind him, and the two settled in for the Charlie Brown Christmas special. They promised to clean up, not wanting Lucille to do all the work, but after a meal like that, they earned a moment to breathe. 

“I don’t ever want to eat again,” Daniel admitted, his hand falling onto his stomach. 

“Bad news for you, your mom is already glazing the ham,” Johnny muttered, earning a groan from the man beside him. 

“God, why do Italians have to eat so much?” 

“Ask the Pope.” 

“Boys! Those dishes won’t clean themselves!” Lucille called from the kitchen. 

With another groan, they both pushed up off the couch and made their way back inside, standing side by side at Daniel’s small sink, working in tandem with the washing and drying of the pans and plates. 

Since it would be two extra people for dinner, Lucille was determined to make it something of a classic feast, with the glorious ham, multiple sides, and several desserts to finish it off. Johnny couldn’t remember the last time he had a home-cooked meal like that, especially since every Christmas with Sid came from catering. 

Lucille of course did the main dish with Daniel and Johnny getting to work on the sides. Daniel mashed the potatoes, Johnny cut the carrots. Lucille snapped at Daniel for buying canned cranberry sauce and all Johnny could do was laugh. The natural bouncing back and forth in the kitchen was bizarre to him and yet worked so well for the Larusso clan. 

He figured it had just been the two of them for so long, Daniel and Lucille were used to it. 

Once the ham was in the oven and the sides had been halfway completed, excluding being cooked, Daniel and Johnny went off to change into their outfits for the day. Johnny didn’t own a Christmas sweater, not even a gag one though Shannon had begged him to wear one a time or two. 

He opted for a blue button-down because he was always told the color made his eyes pop and black jeans for contrast. Daniel went with a collared shirt under a black sweater, clashing with the holiday expectation, but it looked good on him. It made his skin look even more tan and toned and let his own dark eye color pop. Johnny turned around to keep himself from staring, walking back out once he was finished so he could finish cleaning up the place. 

His mother wasn’t expected until later and neither was Mr. Miyagi, so when a knock on the door came, Johnny answered it without a clue as to who it might be. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he found Shannon standing on the doorstep, a wrapped-up bottle in hand. 

“How did you even find me?” 

“You told Mac to forward your paycheck to this address for the next month,” Shannon reminded him. She gave him a once over, smiling brightly. “You cleaned up nicely. Where’s Daniel?” 

“Still getting ready. What are you doing here?” 

“You were in a grumpy mood last night so I didn’t get to give you your present,” Shannon mentioned, glancing over Johnny’s shoulder. 

The faux brunet turned and found Lucille standing behind him, decked out in her holiday attire. A velvet green dress that went down to her calf with sparkling Christmas tree earrings to boot. She looked like something out of a Christmas movie, bright and colorful. 

“Well hello there. Who’s this?” 

“Hi! I’m Shannon. You must be Daniel’s mom.” Shannon mentioned, waving from the open door. 

“Johnny, don’t make the poor girl stand out there.” 

With a grin, Shannon pushed past Johnny, going to offer her hand to Lucille once she was inside. “I work at the bar with Johnny. I just came by to drop off his Christmas present.” 

“Are you going anywhere special afterward?” Lucille asked, noticing Shannon’s outfit. 

She did this every year, so much so it didn’t even phase Johnny anymore. She was decked out in a red dress similar to a female Santa dress. It wasn’t too revealing but it made her look like she worked at the mall as a young Mrs. Clause rather than an actual party dress. 

“Yeah, she’s going down to the hospital to give the sick kids a Christmas they’ll never forget,” Johnny mentioned, laughing as both Lucille and Shannon smacked him.

“I’m heading back home after this,” Shannon answered. “I just wanted to stop by before everybody showed up.” 

“Are you spending Christmas alone?” Lucille asked softly. “Oh dear, that’s terrible. Johnny, isn’t that terrible?” 

“So terrible, Lucille,” Johnny replied, shaking his head in disbelief. 

“Why don’t you spend Christmas with us?” Lucille asked and Johnny turned away so his expression wouldn’t be seen. It was a mixture of pure obscurity and amusement that even he couldn’t make up. 

“Oh, I don’t want to impose,” Shannon mentioned, sounding sincere for the moment. “Honestly, it’s fine. I’ll probably find someone to spend it with. Plenty of lonely men who have love and attention on their Christmas list.” 

Johnny clamped his hand over his mouth to stifle any laughter coming from him. Lucille shook her hand, taking Shannon’s arm to lead her into the kitchen. “Nonsense. You’re staying with us. Come on, you can help me with the gravy.” 

Johnny took the bottle from Shannon as she passed, opening it up just as Daniel came out of the bedroom. “Where’d you get that?”

“Shannon,” He replied, revealing it to be a bottle of peppermint schnapps. “She came by to drop this off and your mom invited her to stay.” 

“Did she accept?” 

“She didn’t have much of a choice,” He admitted. “Ever have a peppermint patty shot?” 

Daniel sighed, glancing to the kitchen where his mom was putting Shannon to work. “It’s five o’clock somewhere.” 

Johnny kept himself from getting drunk in the early afternoon, only having one shot just to show off with Daniel. He wasn’t a bartender like Shannon, but he could remember a few different recipes when it came to more technical drinks. Shannon tended to practice when it was slow at the bar and Johnny was usually her guinea pig for it. 

They found a bit of a snag when it came to setting the table for dinner, finding that Daniel’s tiny little circle table wasn’t going to fit all six of them. They were able to make it work with just Daniel, Johnny, and Lucille, but now with the added guest, they were out of luck. 

“Why don’t we just sit scattered around?” Johnny offered, earning a scowl from Lucille. 

“It’s Christmas dinner, Johnny! We have to sit together as a family.” She insisted pointedly. 

Johnny opted to go buy a foldable table, using it as an excuse to leave the house and get a breath of fresh air. Daniel followed, insisting they could pick up a table from Mr. Miyagi who always had something available. 

Johnny was skeptical about leaving Shannon alone with Lucille and quietly reminded her to keep her mouth shut about everything he had told her the night before as he left with Daniel. 

“Is everything okay? You seem a little tense,” Daniel noted as they drove into town. 

Johnny shook it off, keeping his eyes on the road. “Mentally preparing for tonight,” He replied. 

“Your ma?” 

“My mom, and your mom, and Miyagi, and now Shannon, and  _ you _ . It’s a lot.” 

“Why am I in the mix?” Daniel asked. Johnny didn’t reply, figuring the silence was enough of an answer. They still haven’t discussed what they were going to do once this was all over. Johnny wanted to take the chance and make the first move, but with the way Daniel danced around him, giving him mixed signals, he didn’t want to risk it. 

The attraction was there, but the way he made excuses for why he was single like he was trying to keep Johnny at arm's length, gave Johnny a headache. Maybe it wasn’t worth the trouble. Maybe  _ he _ wasn’t worth the trouble. 

Or maybe all this Christmas shit was getting to Johnny’s head and he really needed to go back to his hermit way of life before Daniel drowned him in all the holiday cheer. 

Daniel sighed, turning his head so he could look out the window. “And here I thought this was the happiest time of the year?” 

“Most  _ wonderful _ time of the year.” Johnny corrected him. “It’s the happiest season.” 

“Holiday greetings and gay happy meetings,” 

“Well, we got the gay part down.” The faux brunet grumbled as he pulled into Miyagi’s driveway. 

He followed Daniel around the back, keeping his hands in his pockets as Daniel searched the grounds for him. “He must be out. Sometimes he’ll deliver toys to kids in the neighborhood. He’s quite a craftsman, you know.” 

“Does he have a table we could use?” 

Daniel rummaged around in the garage before finding a folding table that was long enough. Everything was hunky-dory until they realized there was no way they’d be able to get it back with the firebird. 

“Maybe we could tie it on top?” He offered, though even then he didn’t trust the thing to not slide off if he hit the breaks too hard. 

“I have an idea,” Daniel ventured, and then hurried inside, going to grab one of the keys of the cars he and Miyagi had on the lot, leaving the firebird behind in a parking spot among the other vintage cars. 

Johnny didn’t expect to drive a classic red pickup straight from a Christmas card, but here he was, pulling into Daniel’s driveway with the table loaded in the back. 

Once inside, they struggled to set it up, deciding to place it in between the hallway kitchen and the living room, giving them the perfect view of the tree. Lucille dressed it with a tablecloth that was just a tad too big, but that didn’t matter much. They were just about finished setting it when the doorbell rang and Daniel made his way over to answer it. 

Miyagi was there, decked out in a red coat similar to Shannon’s dress and a large satin bag thrown over his shoulder like he was Santa Clause himself. He greeted everybody warmly, pulling both Shannon and Johnny in for a hug as if they were lifelong friends before going to find Lucille and begin telling her all about his visit to Japan. 

When the doorbell rang for a third time, Johnny’s stomach sank and after exchanging a glance with Daniel, he went to answer it. He took one final breath, knowing this would be the last time before he had his mother back into his life, even if it was just for one night. All the cold feelings he had were forced down and he pulled the door open to greet his mother.

She was dressed to the nines, just like always. It was clear that the acrimony was allowing her to live a good life and he found that she still had the same pearl earrings she wore every Christmas setting comfortably in her ear. 

They were the only thing she had kept from her old life before Johnny was born and the last Christmas gift her parents had given her before disowning her for getting pregnant at only sixteen. They were the only thing she refused to sell back when they were poor and living in a sham of an apartment and wore them every year on Christmas. 

“Well, don’t you look handsome,” She gushed, glancing over him slowly. “Blue always was your color.” 

“Thank you,” Johnny replied, stepping aside so she could enter. 

Daniel made his way over, taking the container she had sitting in her hands, as well as the velvet bag she was carrying with her purse. “Hello, Laura.” He greeted, kissing her cheek politely. “You look lovely,” 

“As do you. You boys clean up nicely.” 

“Well, we try,” Daniel mentioned, bumping his shoulder against Johnny’s playfully. “Please, make yourself at home,” Daniel nudged Johnny with his elbow, mouthing the word ‘coat’ before going to take the bags into the kitchen. Johnny rolled his eyes but took his mother's coat to be polite, going to hang it on the rack beside his own. 

Johnny watched as his mother introduced herself to Shannon and Lucille, and while it was obvious the latter was taking the moment to size the blond up, she kept her promise to Daniel on being nice and welcomed her into the conversation.

Heading into the kitchen, Johnny refilled his cup of eggnog, watching from a distance as the group stood around, making small talk about this and that. 

“Daniel-San told me you do not like a holiday.” Mr. Miyagi mentioned from beside him. 

“Not particularly,” Johnny admitted, keeping his eyes down on his cup. 

“For reason?” 

“You don’t want to hear my sob story, old man.”

Mr. Miyagi hummed softly, moving in closer to the younger man. “I have always been good listener to those willing to speak.” 

Johnny sighed, deciding to take the chance because really, what did he have to lose? “To be honest, I just think it’s all fake. You work hard to buy gifts that people don’t appreciate. You tell people you love them and then you break their heart.” 

“Ah! George Michael song. Wham!” 

Johnny snorted, tipping his head up to glance at the old man. “Yeah, just like the song. Except a lot more painful.” 

“Did someone break your heart, Johnny-San?” 

“Didn’t realize I earned enough respect for the nickname,” Johnny mumbled, glancing tilting his head as he heard his mother's laughter. It was light and bubbly, just as he remembered it. With a sigh, he took a quick swig of his drink, wishing it was stronger. 

“Ah,” Mr. Miyagi hummed, glancing between the two. “How long?” 

“Five years. I came out on Christmas after my step-dad caught me flirting with a guy at the country club.” 

He was old enough to be living on his own, but he remained in the house due to his mother's request. He was going to school locally and she liked the idea of having him close by. Johnny had been smart enough to not bring guys around and kept his sexuality mostly to himself. It was a waiter that caused his downfall but he couldn’t blame the guy. He was hot and was willing to not tell a soul that a member's son was equally gay. 

Sid worked in Hollywood however and could see the signs from a mile away. He had made remarks before but didn’t have proof until that night when he caught Johnny and the waiter making plans to meet up. The country club had a Christmas eve ball and later during the night, when the guests were either beginning to leave or too drunk to notice, Johnny snuck away for some fun. 

Johnny thought back years later, wondering if it had been worth it. If he should have just kept it in his pants and he wouldn’t be where he was right now, but he knew that was bullshit. He had seen his stepdad do the same thing with women but the difference was nobody batted an eye because sneaking away to fuck some pretty girl wasn’t half as scandalous as it was to fuck some pretty guy. 

Sid openly cheated on his wife and it was just to be accepted but Johnny messing around with a male waiter was too much of a dark spot on their reputation for the country club to take. 

Johnny left after Sid repeatedly called him a faggot and suggested they send him away to some camp that would fix him. He had the Pamphlet tucked away in a draw, just waiting for the right moment to spring it on Laura. 

Johnny packed his shit up and left then, not bothering to go back to school. He couch hopped for a while before finally earning enough cash to buy the place he had now.

“I left that night. Spent Christmas alone ever since.” 

“Until now, thanks to Daniel-San.” Mr. Miyagi mused. His gaze fell onto Daniel who was talking to his mom about who knows what. “I have known that young man for a very long time. Seen him happy and sad. Seen him with girlfriend, but never boyfriend. I see him with you and I think he is happy. I think he know he is happy too.” 

“I don’t know, old man. Not sure if we’re gonna last very long.” 

“Never know. After all, Christmas full of surprises.” 

Mr. Miyagi left after that, going to head back into the living room with the others. Lucille broke away, going to check on the food before deciding it was ready. Johnny helped, since he was the closest, and set the table just as Lucille told him to. 

Once ready, she called for everyone to come to sit. Johnny waited for everyone to take a seat, going to settle in between his mother and Daniel. Lucille said Grace, thanking the Lord for the food they were about to eat, and for the gifts, they would all receive. She wished Jesus a very happy birthday before releasing them all so they could eat. 

The food was delicious, by far the best Christmas dinner Johnny had in years. Shannon voiced the same opinion, telling everyone a story about how she spent one Christmas with a guy she had been seeing who tried to make a turducken. 

Mr. Miyagi then told a story of how his uncle once caught a shark while fishing and cooked it for their holiday meal, putting the fin on top of the tree for decoration. Christmas isn’t taken as seriously there as it was in America, but they liked the little traditions such as a tree inside and a large feast to eat so they adapted as much as possible. 

Laura then told a story of when she and Johnny were still living on their own and Johnny had tried to make her breakfast, resulting in a huge mess of eggs covered in Christmas sprinkles and a candy cane crumbled on top. 

“Please tell me you didn’t eat it,” Daniel laughed. 

“Of course I did. Whatever Johnny created in the kitchen was always eaten. That was our deal. I ate his cooking so long as he ate mine.” 

“That was before you married Sid and got a chef,” Johnny commented in between bites of his ham. 

“I still like to think I was better than the chef,” Laura replied with a shrug, sipping away on the wine she had been given. 

“Did you bake the cookies you brought?” Shannon asked casually. 

Laura smiled brightly, bobbing her head. “I did. They're Czech susenky Christmas cookies. The same kind my grandparents used to make for me.” 

“Bullshit,” Johnny snorted. “I remember those from when I was a kid. They took hours to make. What bakery did you go to?” 

“No bakery. I really must insist you and Daniel come to dinner one night, my kitchen is immaculate.” 

Johnny hummed, going back to focusing on his dinner. He didn’t want to think about going to his mother's place and having her cook for him. He didn’t want to think about cooking with her, just like he used to do when he was just a little boy. Johnny didn’t want to think at all, so he just focused on his meal, hoping his glum expression wasn’t too obvious. 

When dinner was done, they cleared their plates and loaded them in the dishwasher. The men agreed to wash the dishes so the ladies could relax and Daniel stood by his side once more as they washed and dried, just like earlier. 

“Your ma is really sweet, you know,” Daniel admitted. “It was nice of her to invite us to dinner.” 

Johnny hummed, not giving much of an answer. 

“Johnny, I know it isn’t my place, but she’s trying. Doesn’t that count for something?” 

“She couldn’t try five years ago? Or four? Or three?” 

“Five is better than six.” Daniel opted. “She might be five years late, but better late than never, right?” 

“You and your bleeding heart,” He muttered quietly. 

“You don’t have to forgive her, but you could at least give her a chance to make up for lost time. Being angry at her forever isn’t going to stop you from hurting, you know?” 

Johnny didn’t say another word. What could he possibly say? That he wanted to be angry? Maybe he was selfish or cruel? Maybe he really was a bastard? Maybe he wanted his mother to suffer and be alone just as he did?

Or maybe he just wants her to see that he was happy without her in his life even if Johnny himself isn’t sure how true that fact even is. 

Laura was laughing again, loud and bubbly. Johnny turned his head to see what she was up to and found her talking to Shannon and Lucille. Curious, he went to stand in the entryway, listening to the conversation. 

“He was the cutest baby. Adorable, I swear. The biggest blue eyes. I have pictures somewhere, I’ll have to find them. Honestly, you two would be lovely together.” 

“You’re too sweet,” Shannon mentioned. 

“I could see it now. A little blue-eyed, blond-haired trouble maker running around.” 

“Are you kidding me?” Johnny voiced from across the way. All eyes turned on him, Daniel’s included from the kitchen. “Why the hell would you say that?” 

“Oh. We were just discussing-” Laura began, though Johnny cut her off. 

“I heard you. You don’t give up, do you? I’m gay, mom. Whether you like it or not.” 

“I know that, Johnny.” 

“Then why the fuck are you saying Shannon and I would look good together? Why are you talking about if we had kids together? What is  _ wrong _ with you?” 

“Because I brought it up!” Shannon snapped at him. “I was telling them that I was thinking of donating my eggs and she was asking me if I’d ever considered becoming a surrogate.” 

“If you and Daniel ever wanted to have kids, Shannon said she’d help you out,” Lucille added dryly. 

“Your mom thought we’d make a good looking kid together, not raise one together,” Shannon told him. 

Johnny was silent, though his mouth hung up openly, unsure of what to even say to that. Laura placed her drink down carefully, offering an apologetic smile to both Lucille and Shannon. “I should be going.” 

“Laura, no,” Lucille mentioned, though the blond shook her head. 

“It’s getting late.” She replied, her eyes drifting over to Johnny. “Thank you for the invite. Merry Christmas, everyone.” 

Pulling away from the group, Laura grabbed her jacket and slipped out of the house. Johnny swore under his breath, ignoring the glare from Lucille as Shannon repeatedly hit his shoulder. “Asshole! What is wrong with you?” 

“I didn’t know!” Johnny practically shouted at her. 

“Because you jump to conclusions like the idiot you are!”

“She was being supportive, Johnny,” Lucille admitted tenderly.

Shannon shoved at his shoulder, pushing him towards the door. “Jesus Johnny go!”

Daniel beat him to it, however, heading out the door to catch Laura before she got into her car. He was rambling on like he always did, though Laura was quick to silence him. 

“You don’t have to apologize for my son, Daniel. His reason for hating me is valid.” She said quietly. 

“He doesn’t hate you,” Daniel swore. “He probably wishes he does because it would be easier than dealing with how he really feels.” 

“You don’t have to make excuses for him, Daniel.” 

“They’re not excuses,” Johnny muttered, making his way outside. He approached the two carefully, his arms crossing over his chest. “He’s right. I wish I could hate you because it would be easier than accepting the fact that I spent the last five years pretending like you didn’t matter. Truth is you do. And the fact that you can bring up the past so casually like you didn’t turn your back on me stings, mom.” 

“I know I hurt you, Johnny. I let Sid make horrible comments about you and try to convince me that you needed to be fixed. I’m not expecting you to forgive me.”

“I don’t want to,” Johnny admitted. “I want to be mean and I want you to feel the same isolated pain that I felt, but I can’t. I’m not a bad person, mom. You raised me to be better than that.” 

“I lost five years of our lives together because I was too scared to speak up and I am truly sorry for that, Johnny. If you let me, I’d be happy to spend whatever time we have left together making up for it.” 

“I don’t forgive you,” Johnny answered her. “Not yet anyway. But you deserve a second chance. So just, come back into the house and we’ll pretend like you never suggested I knock up my best friend.” 

“I really did mean it when I said you two would make a lovely child together.” 

“That’s very sweet, but I don’t think either of us is ready for that,” Daniel mentioned then, reminding Johnny that he was standing there. 

Laura offered an apologetic smile before pushing between the two men to go back inside. Johnny turned his head up then, blinking away any possible tears he could have shed from the heart to heart. There were so many other things he wanted to say, but he knew it wasn’t the right time or place, so he just breathed slowly hoping to bring himself back to reality. 

“Hey,” Daniel murmured, taking Johnny’s hand in his own. “I’m proud of you, you know.” 

“Shut up,” He sighed, looking over to the other man.

“I am. I know how hard that was for you.”

“Yeah well….” Johnny didn’t have an actual reply. It was hard. Johnny could feel himself draining just from that small conversation alone but the night was still young.

“I have your money, you know,” Daniel told him. “You can give it to that landlord and get your dojo by tomorrow.” 

Johnny lifted his wrist, looking down at his watch to check the time. It was a quarter to seven. If he left now, he would be there a little late, but he’d give Zarkarian the money he so righteously wanted. And the small space in the mini-mall would be his. 

“Keep it,” Johnny decided, turning around to face Daniel. “I don’t want it anymore.” 

“Johnny, we had a deal. We have a contract.” 

“Rip it up. It’s not legal anyway, it’s a fucking piece of paper.” 

“Johnny,”

“This entire week has been a rollercoaster, Daniel. I’ve felt things I didn’t even know I could feel anymore. Feelings I buried so deep I thought they were gone. Your mom crocheted me a fucking hat, Daniel. She made me go out and pick out a tree with her. My mom told a story from my childhood that didn’t involve me being a little shit. Mr. Miyagi gave me a respectable nickname and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel miserable on Christmas. I don’t need the money anymore.” 

“What about the down payment?” Daniel asked quietly. “You can take it as a loan! We can work something out.” 

“Go out with me,” Johnny requested outright. “I get that your relationships in the past haven’t ended well but we’re different, Daniel. You made me try new things and laid me out on the fucking karate mat without a blink. We’re not going to get that from anyone else.” 

Daniel pouted, his arms crossing over his chest as he shifted his weight from one foot and then the other. “You’ve held your side of the bargain Johnny, it doesn’t seem fair.” 

Johnny, on the other hand, could only smile as he approached the other man. “You got me and I got you. Can’t get any fairer than that.” 

“I’ll tell my mom the truth,” Daniel swore. 

“And I’ll deny it.” He answered swiftly. “I’ll say you’re insane or that you’re trying to break up with me. Sorry Larusso, but you’re not getting out of this.” 

“You really wanna go out with me that badly?” 

Johnny bobbed his head, lacing Daniel’s fingers with his own. “I do.” 

Daniel sighed, looking disgruntled about it all, but then he smiled in that way that made Johnny’s hearts do all those little flips. And he stepped closer to the man, causing his stomach to turn into knots. “Always so difficult,” 

“Always, babe.” 

Johnny closed the gap then, pressing his lips down to Daniel’s. It felt good, and natural, and real. Something Johnny had been craving for the longest time. 

“Makeout later, we’re opening presents!” Shannon shouted from the doorway. 

Rolling his eyes, Johnny pulled away, allowing Daniel to drag him into the house. 

Lucille had already passed out her gifts to Mr. Miyagi and Laura, offering Shannon a scarf she had knitted as a spare. She made Mr. Miyagi a new sweater and gifted Laura with a stylish hat. She glared at Johnny as he came inside but gave him his gift anyway which was an emergency medical kit. 

“If you’re anything like Daniel on that karate mat you’re going to get hurt easily. Keep yourself healthy.” She told him. 

Johnny gave Shannon the gift certificate to her nail salon and Lucille a bottle of Shalimar just as his mother suggested. He didn’t think to get his mother anything special choosing to instead give her the wooden soldier nutcracker he had stolen from the house on his way out all those years ago. It was her favorite decoration and he took it out of spite. 

Johnny had returned to the storage unit where he kept his things, bringing them back with him so Daniel could use them for decoration, but found it deserved to go home with its rightful owner. 

“I’m honestly surprised you didn’t burn it,” Laura admitted with a small laugh as she cradled the nutcracker to her chest. 

“I thought about it but I cared about him too much to do so.”

“Thank you, Johnny. He’s just as lovely as I remember him.” 

Laura left to sit with the rest of the ladies, leading to Daniel coming to his side by the window. He held out an envelope to him and Johnny immediately shook his head. “I told you I don’t want the money.”

“It’s not the money,” Daniel promised. “Open it.” 

Johnny did so, looking in to find a handful of receipts. Taking a closer inspection he found them to be ticket receipts from the local arcade. Johnny used to frequent the place back in high school but hadn’t gone back in sometime.

“I was planning on asking you but you sort of beat me to the punch,” Daniel admitted.

“You want to go to the arcade?”

“The last time I went was by myself when I was eighteen. I racked up all these tickets but didn’t know what to spend them on. I thought maybe we could go back and pick out something nice.” 

“Is this your way of saying you’re going to give me one of those big teddy bears?” 

Daniel let out a breath he seemed to be holding and smiled that big beautiful smile of his as he moved in closer to Johnny. “Depends. Are you going to go into the photo booth with me?”

“Maybe. If you play your cards right.” 

“You two are so cute I could vomit,” Shannon commented as she passed. 

“I’ll remember that when you’re carrying our kid!” Johnny shouted to him, coughing away his smile as Mr. Miyagi approached. 

“Daniel-San,” He replied, handing Daniel his wrapped up gift. Daniel went to sit on the couch beside his mother, leaving Johnny and Mr. Miyagi standing by the window. “Johnny-San.” 

“Please tell me you didn’t get me anything,” Johnny replied, frowning as he lifted his empty hands. 

“Only one thing. Daniel-San tells me you wish to open Dojo of own.” 

“I had been working on it, but the plans fell through,” Johnny admitted. “No biggie. There will be other locations, you know? Karate won’t ever go out of style, right?” 

Mr. Miyagi hummed softly, glancing over to Daniel. “I know karate my whole life. Daniel-San since he was eighteen. I have been good Sensei to him, but no time to open dojo. Daniel-San would make excellent sensei, make dojo of own but no time to teach. Johnny-San have time, but no place.” 

“What are you saying, old man?” 

“Miyagi-Do open to the public with Sensei Lawrence at the helm.” 

Johnny blinked, his head cocking slightly as he watched the old man. “You’re serious. You want to hire me?” 

“Much respect you show the art. Come Monday, we work it out.” 

“Holy shit,” Johnny muttered, taking the hand Mr. Miyagi was holding out, shaking it firmly. “Thank you. I promise you won’t regret this.” 

Mr. Miyagi hummed, smirking as he pulled away. “One condition. Mop floor after sparring with Daniel-San.” 

“Deal!” 

Daniel returned to his side then, offering Johnny a drink. “You certainly seem happy,”

“Did you know he was going to do that?” 

“I might have mentioned it to him. Figured if you didn’t open your own place you might like to join the Miyagi-Do family.” 

“I’ll have to thank you personally,” He mused, searching around for the mistletoe. He gestured to Shannon to snag it off the wall for him. 

Daniel reached up then, touching Johnny’s hair gently. “How long until this is gone?” 

“Couple of weeks. Might bleach it back, if you make it worth my while.” Johnny mused, laughing as Lucille rolled her eyes at the two. 

“I take it you’re not a real brunet, Johnny?” 

“Nope. Dyed it for fun, but I’m as pale as my mom over there.” 

Lucille snorted then, bumping her shoulder again Daniel’s. “I’m not surprised. You always did like them blond, Daniel.” 

“How right you are mom,” 

“Daniel, did you tell Johnny the news?” Lucille stage-whispered to her son. 

Johnny narrowed his eyes, looking between the two in confusion. “What news?” 

“I got offered a position right here in California! Well, of course, I had to accept it. I’ll be settled in by Valentine’s Day. Isn’t that wonderful?” 

Johnny blinked, turning from Lucille to Daniel with curious eyes. “Will you now?”

“Looks like you won’t be getting rid of me just yet, Johnny.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it Lucille,” He swore, smiling from behind his glass as he took a sip of his drink. 

Shannon walked by, passing Johnny the mistletoe then. He winked her eyes, smirking as he turned back to the tanned man. He held it high above Daniel’s head, smiling brightly to him. “Merry Christmas, Danny.” 

And Daniel, smiling as wide as he could, wrapped his arms around Johnny, pulling him in close. “Merry Christmas, John.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it! We've reached the end. I thank you all so so much for sticking by this story. I truly never expected you all to have such a wonderful reaction. I hope to see you all soon when I release my newest project. Until then, everybody have a safe and wonderful Christmas if you celebrate!


End file.
